Achieve week 9/10 #3

[Janelle2E]

So, I got the write answer, but after plugging in my values I got a negative value, but the rate of the reaction should be positive. Why should the rate of the reaction be expressed as a positive value if all the values being plugged in are clearly all positive?

[duketh10]

Hi! I was a bit confused with this as well, however the rates are the same as a derivative where it's the instantaneous rate of change at that specific point in the reaction. These reactions are expressed over time, therefore it cannot be a negative value, since you cannot just go backwards in time in the middle of the reaction :)

[305920501]

For number 3, we are approximating the tangent line on the graph, which does have a negative slope. This is because the concentration of reactants are decreasing over time as the reaction progresses. However, we consider rates in their positive value in order to keep them consistent with other formulas and conceptualize the rate of the forward reaction. We see the negative slope on because this graph is demonstrating the concentration of reactants over time.