Rate of Change
Definition
In chemistry, the rate of change refers to how quickly or slowly a reaction occurs. It's the speed at which reactants are converted into products.
Analogy
Think of it like driving a car. The speedometer shows your rate of change in position - if you're going fast, you're covering more distance in less time (like a fast chemical reaction), but if you're going slow, it takes longer to get where you're going (like a slow chemical reaction).
Related terms
Reaction Rate: This is the speed at which reactants are transformed into products during a chemical reaction.
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by reducing the energy needed for the reaction to occur, but isn't consumed in the process.
Rate Law: An equation that relates the rate of a reaction to the concentrations of its reactants and determines how they affect the rate of the reaction.
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