When is X negligible.

[Samantha Jimenez 4k]

So I'm still pretty confused as to when we should know when x can be disregarded in the denominator for the quadratic equation in an ICE problem. Is it safer to just never disregard it, or are there exceptions when it is acceptable?

[madisondesilva1c]

X is negligible if the K value is below 10^-3. Therefore it would not change the initial concentration of the given reactant, so it is able to be disregarded in these cases.

[Shubham Rai 2C]

Usually, it depends on the problem. You can ignore the X when the K value is smaller than 10^-3. However, for the numerator, it would be best to keep the x as usually, that's the x value that is being solved for.

[Ariel Cheng 2I]

As the others mentioned before, the general rule is that you can disregard the X when the K value is smaller than 10^-3. Afterward, you can also confirm that the X you get is less than 5% of the initial concentration in order to double check that your approximation is valid.

[JadeSebti1L]

My TA also said today it is not mandatory to do the shortcut and that the quadratic works fine. But, if you have to do the shortcut because of time constraints you have to check that x is less than 5% of the initial concentration to get credit for that step.

[KHuang1L]

X is negligible when K is less than 10^3. Also confirm that your approximation is valid if the X value is less than 5% of your initial concentration.

[Aleeque Marselian 1A]

You can approximate the x in the denominator when the value of K is less than 10^-3. However, it is not mandatory and you would still get the same value of x if you choose not do use the shortcut.