Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6
Structural and Mental Models
I once was invited to give a slide show about Germany in San Diego/California. One of the
photos I found in an illustrated topic called “Germany” represented the famous
Neuschwanstein Castle near F
ussen in Bavaria. I showed this picture first. As soon as it
appeared on the screen a woman interrupted: “Beautiful - just like the castle in
Disneyland.” I tried to correct: “In Disneyland you find a copy of the castle - this photo
shows the original in Bavaria” - but the woman did not listen. The difference between
original and model was not important to her!
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In this example both the original and the model can be observed: the photo of the
castle as well as the model in Disneyland can be compared to the Bavarian original
in detail. In scientific models for chemical structures the spheres of the model
cannot be compared to the submicroscopic original atoms, ions or molecules,
