Dividing Experiments to Find Order

[Sophia Diaz - Dis 1B]

I understand the process in which we find the value of n, but I don't fully understand how we determine which experiment should be divided by another. For example, the in-class example had us dividing rate 2 by rate 1, but what if we divided rate 1 by rate 2. We would no longer get 2 as an answer and instead get 1/2. So how do you know which rate to divide by in order to get the right answer?

Thanks!

[Schuyler_Howell_4D]

Another question that goes off of this is, can you have an order be a fraction or do they have to be whole numbers?

[emily gao 1C]

you can half fractional half reactions--> the rate law goes to a 1/2 power, etc

[Ibrahim Malik 1H]

When solving for the reaction order, you want to try and divide the experiments as to end up with a whole number. However, ending up with fractions wouldn't necessarily make the problem wrong.

[deepto_mizan1H]

Trying to keep it in terms of ratios can help to figure out the exponent values easier. If we need to reduce the coefficients a bit in order to do so can help as well, but in essence nothing should specifically change.