#maybe the problem is I don't know the exact definition of ''electrode''

[gillianthecat]

Why does science keep trying to gaslight me??? The cathode is NOT the negative electrode in an electrolytic cell, the electrons are still flowing towards it! It's, by definition, still reduction, so electrons have to move towards it and it is therefore a positive electrode. It's attached to the negative terminal of the power source, yes, but that doesn't make the cathode electrode itself negative! I felt like I was losing my mind.

I guess they call the whole section between power source terminal and electrode the "cathode"? And name it based on the battery side? Which is fine, whatever, I'm sure there are valid historical reasons for those naming conventions, but you've got to explain that that's what's happening! Because just saying "negative electrode (cathode)" contradicts everything taught before and makes students (me) feel like we don't understand any of it.

#hw lb #gillianthecat goes back to school #chemistry #electrochemistry #venting #i'm extremely irritable today #partly because ​i woke up late and got to lab late and was confused. and there's bad news in the world #and partly i just am for no reason #so that explains some of the vehemence of this rant #but also i am right about this being underexplained and unnecessarily confusing #i dunno. maybe i'm dumb. #maybe this is obvious so the science education world doesn't think it needs to be explicitly said #BUT IT WASN'T OBVIOUS TO ME #maybe the problem is I don't know the exact definition of ''electrode'' #I know no one cares but I'm annoyed and this is my blog so I'm going to complain