Learning Stoichiometry with Spreadsheet Simulations

Abstract

The pedagogical role of simulations in the teaching of chemistry is discussed here, along with the contribution made by simulations designed with spreadsheets, and the possibility of these being created by the students themselves. A sequence of activities is presented for use in the teaching of stoichiometry by means of simple spreadsheets that have the scroll bar incorporated as an interactive resource. Using this method as an alternative to routine ways of doing exercises, students will become more motivated and active, setting up numerical simulations and answering questions like “What happens if…?” Simultaneous visualization of initial and final experimental quantities, and of the stoichiometric relation, makes it possible to deal with students’ alternative conceptions.