A model earns its place

By Chemistry in small pieces · myAudience

myAudience · AI-generated illustration · Original generated illustration; not documentary evidence

Early atomic theory explained why compounds form with reproducible proportions and why mass is conserved in ordinary chemical reactions. Later evidence revised the picture of atoms themselves. Science can keep a useful model while recognizing its limits. Try describing water at three levels: the liquid you see, the molecules in a model, and the symbols in a formula. Each answers a different question.