Nobel Prize-Winning Chemist Roald Hoffmann's This I Believe Essay

The Tense Middle



Just what I had thought when I learned about chemical equilibrium! When many kinds of chemical substance are mixed, the ratio of their amount always has a middle point, and that point is not fixed; it depends on the environment. Depending on the temperature, each amount, etc., the middle point dynamically changes, but is also determined by a constant. Why can't we also stand at a middle point, not biased to either side? Why can't we be agile and adapt to different situations? Things are usually not so black or white. We should take our time, assess the circumstances, and carefully choose which is best for your immutable value, your constant.