Chemistry vs. Physics. Why Both Need Each Other.
I’ve heard something like this following statement many times.
I’ve heard it multiple times. Why does chemistry have so many rules and exceptions to the rules, but physics doesn’t?
Ok, I have to warn you — I’m a physicists so my answer will obviously be biased. Let me start with one of these “exceptions”. One of the rules you learn in chemistry is the octet rule. This says that atoms prefer to have eight electrons in the outer shell. But this isn’t always the case. It doesn’t work when there aren’t 8 electrons or there are too many or electrons. It doesn’t work when there are an odd number of electrons.
If we want to look at the difference between chemistry and physics, we should start with what’s the same — they are both in the field of science. My favorite explanation of science is that it’s the process of building and testing models. Yes, the octet rule is a model to explain how atoms interact (and form bonds) with other atoms to make molecules.
So, does physics have “exceptions to the rule” also? I’m not sure you would call them exceptions — but there are indeed some physics models that aren’t perfect. We always build models that can be useful even when wrong.
Here’s an example — the gravitational force. If you take a 1 kilogram mass near the surface of…
