- A participant highlighted a little-known algebraic method for balancing chemical redox reactions: treat the unbalanced equation as an over-determined system of linear equations, reduce it to a minimal basis, and reinterpret the result as the balanced reaction.  
- The technique is described in the 1997 Journal of Chemical Education paper “Balancing Chemical Equations Using Linear Algebra” (DOI: 10.1021/ed074p538).  
- The same participant argued that introductory chemistry curricula should presuppose basic linear-algebra skills so that redox balancing can be taught as a matrix operation, framing this as a policy-level educational reform.  
- Discussion ensued on whether such curricular suggestions constitute “politics” under the channel’s no-politics rule, with the conclusion that education policy debates are borderline but may be tolerated if framed technically.  
- A broader point was made that education tends to be reactive: new pedagogical tools only enter mainstream curricula after empirical evidence shows they improve students’ ability to discover new science.