AMEDEO AVOGADRO   1776—1856   Italian physicist and mathematician   Born into noble family in Piedmont   Degree in ecclesiastical law at age 20   Developed interest in physics and mathematics   While teaching high school in Vercelli wrote “Avogadro’s law”   Equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of molecules   So molecular weights can be calculated from the weights of gases   Helped distinguish atoms from molecules   Distinguished mass from weight   Introduced decimal metric system   Number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro’s number

MEMORY TRIGGERS   Italian__________________________________   _______________________________________   Physicist________________________________   _______________________________________   Mathematician___________________________   _______________________________________   Avogadro’s law__________________________   _______________________________________   Gases__________________________________   ______________________________________   Molecules______________________________   ______________________________________   Molecular weight________________________   ______________________________________   Atoms_________________________________   ______________________________________   Mass__________________________________   ______________________________________   Decimal system__________________________   _______________________________________   Avogadro’s number_______________________   _______________________________________