Thinking+and+Communication+with+clarity+and+precision

Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision Sometimes we use language that is vague and imprecise. We use words like “nice” or “ok”. In science, words must be used precisely to describe observations since subtle differences can lead to vastly different conclusions.

When we studied the unit of pH levels, we did an experiment in class which we had to observe the colors of the solution. We then had to deduce the colors of each ion using a table which we had to reason with. At first, I observed MnCl2 to be clear color. However, it turns out that it wasn't clear, but was actually a faint pinkish color. This resulted in me getting the colors of the ions all wrong, because the pattern of ionic colors was caused by a random error of mine. I clarified this with Ms. Knowles, and had to reconstruct the table of formula of the ions responsible for the color. It is extremely important to think and communicate with clarity and precision. Luckily I checked the color of MnCl2 with Ms. Knowles and my classmates. Otherwise, I would have gotten everything wrong!

//The following is the table which we had to record our qualitative observations in. As you can see, MnCl2 shows "pale pink", but originally, it said "colorless".//