The Simple Definition
pH is a logarithmic measure of hydrogen ion concentration, originally
defined by Danish biochemist Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen in 1909 [1].
pH = -log[H+]
where log is a base-10 logarithm and [H+] is the concentration of hydrogen
ions in moles per liter of solution. According to the Compact Oxford English
Dictionary, the "p" stands for the German word for "power", potenz, so pH is
an abbreviation for "power of hydrogen" [2].
--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A
where English is still the language of instruction
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