Modeling is commonplace in chemistry. Richard Zare7 describes chemists as “...highly visual people who want to ‘see’
chemistry and to picture molecules and how chemical transformations happen.” Modeling in chemistry can be split into two distinct representations: those that are internal, mental representations and those that are external symbolic expressions. External symbolic references such as paper and pencil drawings, physical models, and computer simulations are commonly used in high school chemistry curricula to aid students in successfully developing the skills to “see” chemistry in their minds in terms of images of molecules and their transformations.