Atoms and Molecules for Dummies

artist's conception of atoms

It may seem as if we complain about it a lot here, but the reality is that scientifically illiterate J-school graduates trying to discuss science topics on content farms are a danger to your kids' education. Maybe their wording seems easier to read, but wouldn't you rather have accuracy than ease? When the posts are filled with misinformation, are the people who read them "learning"? No... and people like Leaf Group's Jess Kroll aren't helping at all when they post rubbish like "What is the Relationship Between a Molecule & an Atom?" at sciencing.com (really? "Sciencing"?)...

Kroll's BA in English and MA in creative writing did not prepare him to answer even this most basic question in chemistry back in the days of eHow.com. We mean, WTF? Kids in middle school get taught this stuff! How come he can't synthesize it into a simple answer? Well, here's that answer, Jess:

An atom is the smallest division of an element that maintains all of its physical properties; a molecule is the smallest division of a group of atoms that can enter into a chemical reaction.

So the answer is pretty straightforward, requiring at most 40 or 50 words. Kroll's "answer"? It's 603 words long, and contains numerous inaccuracies. Try these on for size:

"All matter in is [sic] a massive collection of molecules.": Ummm, no, all matter consists of atoms. Many substances are made up of atoms instead of molecules, such as the copper wire in the walls of your house or the tungsten filament in the light bulb over your head "Atoms are given a different weight based on the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons in the surrounding cloud." "Given" a weight? We think not... "Molecules are the combination of one [sic] or more atoms into a specific substance": We think you meant two, Jess... "Molecules are held together because the positive and negative parts of the atom (protons and electrons, respectively) are attracted to each other.": Well, yeah, if you're talking ionic bonding; but there is also covalent bonding, which involves sharing of electrons. Betcha didn't know that, did you, Jess...

There is, of course, more – more misinformation, more misinterpretation, more misdefinition – not to mention omission of important concepts. This is, sadly, what you get when you let someone who hasn't taken a science course in way more than a decade try to synthesize scientific information from online sources that are, themselves, sometimes questionable. What you really get, however, is a Dumbass of the Day.

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