Mathematics in Chemical Kinetics: Which Is the Cart and Which Is the Horse?

This chapter is a summary of the results from a large project that is centered on how students understand and use mathematics in chemical kinetics, with an emphasis on the integration or "blending" of chemistry and mathematics during problem solving. Our primary data came from semistructured interviews with 40 general chemistry students, five physical chemistry students, and three chemical engineering students. During the interviews, the students were prompted to reason about chemical kinetics equations and work through chemical kinetics problems. The unique nature of American Chemical Society Symposium Series books has provided a space for us to bring together the different publications that have resulted from this project. Based on this data set, we have previously discussed student engagement in modeling, mathematical reasoning (i.e., symbolic and graphical forms), reasoning regarding the role of mathematics in chemical kinetics, understanding of rate constants, conceptions of zero-order and half-life, and problem-solving approaches. The aim for this chapter is to provide a brief summary of each study, followed by a discussion of the insight gained by looking at all of these studies together, with particular attention to addressing whether chemistry or mathematics drives student reasoning which is the cart and which is the horse?