I am a chemistry major at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa. Unfortunately, I found an inaccuracy in question nine of the "Science Glossary" quiz on June 30. The question reads, "The molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams/a small burrowing mammal." The printed answer is "mole." While I agree that a mole is a small, burrowing mammal, the scientific definition is inaccurate.

According to the text "Chemistry: The Central Science" by Brown, LeMay, and Bursten, a mole is "a collection of Avogadro's number (6.022x10^23) of objects; for example, a mole of H2O is 6.022x10^23 H2O molecules." Essentially, a mole is like a larger version of a dozen. To say that a mole is the molecular weight of the substance in grams would be like saying that a dozen is the weight of a carton of eggs.

While the average reader may not pick up on this, I felt that I should bring it to your attention, as others who notice this discrepancy may start to doubt other questions that appear in the column.

Megan Newtown

Madrid