You will have encountered moles and calculations during your science lessons. The concept of moles in chemistry can be a tricky one. Before practising, why not learn a little about a different type of mole!!
Moles are found on every continent, except for South America and Antarctica, you will not see any in Ireland either!! They also vary greatly in size, with the smallest being the American shrew mole, with a body less than 2 inches long. Whereas the largest mole is the Russian desman, whose body grows up to 22 cm long – with a tail nearly as long as the body!
It is a common misconception that moles are completely blind. They can actually see – just not very well, and they can not distinguish between white and red. All they can detect is daylight, darkness, and moving objects with their eyes. However, their sense of touch more than makes up for it. Around their snouts, they have strong detectors, enabling then to find other animals to eat which are hidden in the dirt. Sensitive hair and whiskers on their noses allow them to sense vibrations in the earth. Once they detect their prey, they use a toxin to paralyse, not kill it! They then store them in underground larders – to feast on at their leisure!! Moles eat up to their body weight in earthworms each day!!
If you are studying GCSE science you need to be able to complete calculations with moles, and masses. For help with this try our new revision guide “How to work with Moles and Calculations”. It explains how to calculate relative formula mass, how to use the moles/mass/formula mass equation, and how to calculate the number of atoms in compounds. Included are questions to try, and answers to check your understanding.
To see the guide click the picture below.
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