As with any scientific field, the need to measure is paramount in chemistry. Whether you are measuring a volume of liquid in the laboratory (CHEMISTRY REVIEW,Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 16–17 and Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 16–17) or calculating the degree of uncertainty in your results (CHEMISTRY REVIEW, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 24–26 and Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 25–27), numbers cannot be avoided.
In the chemical industry, reaction rates and equilibria are measured in order to improve the yield and efficiency of a production process. When manufacturing many tonnes of a chemical, an increase in yield of just a few percent can equate to enhanced profits and a reduction in waste. In all these instances, chemists rely on mathematics to understand what is happening.
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