empirical vs. molecular formula

empirical

[ em-pir-i-kuhl ]show ipa

adjective

1. derived from or guided by direct experience or by experiment, rather than abstract principles or theory: Empirical evidence of changes in kelp consumption was gathered by measuring the bite marks in seaweed fronds.
2. depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory, and hence sometimes insufficiently authoritative, especially as in medicine: That is nothing but an empirical conclusion with no regard for the laws of thermodynamics.
3. provable or verifiable by experience or experiment, as scientific laws: Theoretical physics is criticized for producing complex concepts that are mathematical, not empirical.

molecular formula

noun

1. a chemical formula that indicates the kinds of atoms and the number of each kind in a molecule of a compound.