Understanding the rules

5 min read - Nature of Science

Understanding the nature of rules in chemistry is important for IB students. I think the following ideas are important in ensuring a teacher or student is able to frame the role of a rule or principle in chemistry.

• They are founded in the identification of patterns in empirical evidence.
• They are likely to have exceptions.
• They describe what but do not explain why.

These points are highlighted in two specific examples below:

Some of the rules and principles we come across in the IB course: