I bet you didn’t know that chemists even had a holiday. Well, a chemist’s favorite holiday is Mole Day! When, you may ask, is Mole Day? Today is Mole Day. It is celebrated annually during National Chemistry Week from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. on October 23. Your next question might be: Why are chemists interested in the fuzzy animals called moles? Well, except for those chemists who have a problem with moles in their lawns, most of us don’t give a hoot about moles. However, we do care about the chemical quantity the mole.A mole is a unit similar to a dozen, which means 12 of anything. A mole is Avogadro’s number of anything. Mole Day commemorates Avogadro's number (6.02 × 1023), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry. Teachers can find Mole Day cards and mole-related jokes and definitions that can be used to liven up their lessons.
My sons and I celebrate Mole Day every year. Ed has gotten me Mole Day cakes and cupcakes. When he asks the person in the bakery to write Happy Mole Day on the cake or cupcakes, he usually gets a quizzical look. However, last year the young woman at the Butter Cooky Bakery knew just what he was talking about. She remembered it from when she took chemistry.
Click on the link to listen to the Mole Day song and have a Happy Mole Day!
1 comments:
I remember Mole Day from when I took chemistry in high school. The students taking enriched chemistry in my school celebrated it on October 23rd. The students taking college prep chemistry (like me) celebrated it on June 2nd.
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