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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2003  > November  >
In the Classroom
Playing-Card Equilibrium
Robert M. Hanson
Department of Chemistry, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN 55057-1098
Cover
November 2003
Vol. 80 No. 11
p. 1271
Abstract
A simple hands-on simulation suitable for either classroom use or laboratory investigation involves using a standard deck of playing cards to explore the statistical aspects of equilibrium. Concepts that can be easily demonstrated include fluctuation around a most probable distribution, Le Châtelier's principle, the equilibrium constant, prediction of the equilibrium constant based on probability, and the effect of sample size on equilibrium fluctuations.

See Letter re: this Article.
Supplement
The following are available: A description of the experiment performed by the students in Chemistry 126; a derivation of Wf/Wmax; the spreadsheet used for the preparation of the tables presented in this article (ways.xls), a Visual Basic program that can be used to explore various combinations of H and D atoms in the H2/D2/HD equilibrium system (wineq.exe), and a JavaScript version of the same (h2d2.htm).

Supplemental materials for this article are also available at the author's Web site (accessed May 2003).

*  Contents Folder JCE2003p1271W containing ways.xls, wineq.exe, h2d2.htm and required image files.
*  Download
JCE2003p1271W.pdf

JCE2003p1271W.zip

JCE2003p1271W.sit
More Information
*  Citation
 Hanson, Robert M. J. Chem. Educ. 2003 80 1271.
*  Keywords
 Demonstrations; Equilibrium; General Chemistry; Introductory / High School Chemistry; Laboratory Instruction; Statistical Mechanics; Thermodynamics
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 October 2, 2003
February 28, 2005
Link to Letter added (October 2004).
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