Happy Mole Day!

[Catshrink]

Today is Mole Day, a big day in Chemistry. The mole is a unit equalling 6.022 x 10^23 particles. It is celebrated on 10-23 at 6:02am and 6:02pm.

BTW, the mole represents a very big number. It is also called Avogadro's Number, named for Lorenzo Romano Amadeo Carlo Avogadro, Count of Quarequa and Cerreto. According to Bill Bryson in "A Short History of Nearly Everything":

"Its value is placed at 6.0221367 x 10 23, which is an enormously large number. Chemistry students have long amused themselves by computing just how large a number it is, so I can report that it is equivalent to the number of popcorn kernels needed to cover the United States to a depth of nine miles, or cupfuls of water in the Pacific Ocean, or soft drink cans that would, evenly stacked, cover the Earth to a depth of 200 miles. An equivalent number of American pennies would be enough to make every person on Earth a dollar trillionaire. It is a big number."

Bill Bryson
A Short History of Nearly Everything, p. 104-5.

[bif]

1. It's official?

Wow. When I heard my daughter's high school chemistry teacher was celebrating it, I thought it was something he made up. I hated chemistry and it was the concept of the mole that broke this camel's back. I ended up dropping out of chemistry (the only class I ever dropped).

[StopTheMorans]

2. I would like to join you in officially hating

"the mole". Chemistry pissed me off to no end, loved the "life sciences" i.e. advanced bio, hated chem. and physics, and the mole started me down that path:) Damn you all to hell Mole, I urinate upon your sacred day!

[Catshrink]

3. I'm not sure if it's official

in the sense of being a holiday, but it's widely noted. Maybe it's just a high school chemistry class thing. But, there is a website:

http://www.moleday.org

And this little guy is the mascot:

[sexybomber]

4. well people definitely use it as an excuse to party...

My high school chemistry class celebrated it with a party and my environmental chemistry professor mentioned it in passing yesterday...

I think I'm going to celebrate it tonight by drinking a mole of ethanol molecules... let's see, that would be... uh....

*does fuzzy math*

47 grams of pure ethanol...
37 ml of pure ethanol...
92 ml of 80 proof Jack Daniels...

roughly three shots. :evilgrin:

[tsakshaug]

5. Mole Day!!!!

When I was a chemistry teacher we had a great time with this. The week leading up to it I had mole trivia for prizes, my students made t-shirts. We ate.
I still get mole day email from former students.

[Catshrink]

6. How cool!

We are on fall break this week so the class is missing Mole Day as a classroom celebration. But, what the heck. I think we'll do something next week.

[tsakshaug]

7. mole day begat..

Pi day for math. this is held on 3/14. You of course eat pie in math class.
There are a few others but mol day and pi days are the biggies,
then agian elementary schools like 100's day, the 100th day of school. kids bring in hundreds collections and the like

[The_Gopher]

8. we even nominated someone "Mole of the Year" and had a mole of jell-o

of course, we rigged the election to make sure the guy we loved to make fun of won it.
the announcement was made at the homecoming pep rally. he got a crown and all.

it was a moment of utter sardonic cruelty.

[Catshrink]

9. That's another great idea!

Something to put in the pile for next year. There is so much to learn the first year of teaching! Not just the lesson plan stuff, classroom management stuff, but this cool stuff too.

[Kamika]

10. MATH BAD!!!!

BAD!!!

[Syn_Dem]

11. Hmmm

So THATS what it is...my chemistry teacher was telling us about that and for some reason some kids found it ridiculously funny...wonder why.

[mbartko]

12. Crap, I forgot to get the wife a card.

n/t

[Catshrink]

13. Party Pooper! n/t

[UrbScotty]

14. ARGH! I forgot about Mole Day!

On Mole Day one time in my high school chem class, my teacher offered to give us extra credit if we talked a business into putting "Happy Mole Day" on their marquee sign. Wouldn't you know it, the Knights of Columbus hall of which my dad was - and still is - a member, did it. That K of C Hall also has a lounge, and on the sign they talk about, say, beer specials, etc. The sign was just priceless:

HAPPY MOLE DAY
HAPPY HOUR 5-7 EVERYDAY

LOL!!!

[moof]

15. one question, where do you find a "mole jello mold" ?

n/t