  We study, from a purely quantitative point of view, the quasi-steady-state
assumption for the fundamental mathematical model of the general enzymatic
reaction: we re-establish, on a rigorous basis, certain already known results
and we propose a novel approach to the subject, that makes waivable an
ambiguous, widely used, practice. In particular, we define the two parts of the
assumption in a quantitative fashion, we employ a simple algorithm for the
proper scaling of the corresponding problem which naturally provides us with
the necessary and sufficient information, and we comment, among other issues,
on a dispensable third part of the assumption.
