This post is about how organic chemistry and biochemistry got their names. The Swedish chemist Jöns Berzelius (1807-1882) appears to have introduced the name “organic chemistry” for the study of molecules derived from living things. This appears to imply that living stuff is different to non-living stuff. In post 16.18, I explain my reasons for… Continue reading 24.9 Organic chemistry and biochemistry

You step on your bathroom scales to find your body mass. The idea is that gravity acts on your mass to exert a force that depresses a platform. The depression of the platform depends on the force and, hence, on your body mass. So, to find your body mass, you need to measure the depression… Continue reading 24.8 Passive damping – bathroom scales