Chemistar: Resources for the Chemistry Student and Science Teacher

Studying chemistry will help you:

1. Fine-tune your imagination. You will study structures too small to see and too numerous to count. You will also need to rely on the indirect evidence of the existence and characteristics of elements and compounds.

2. Build patience. Some of the concepts and processes in chemistry need to be studied for weeks before they are understood.

3. Recognize subtleties, similarities, and differences. In chemistry you will need to determine the subtle difference between mass and weight, heat and temperature, atoms and ions, molecular and ionic crystals, soaps and detergents, etc.

4. Improve your mathematical skills. Calculations in chemistry include the use of scientific notation, fractions, decimals, powers, roots, reciprocals, word problems, equations, percentages, ratios, averages, probabilities, error, deviation, graphing, etc.

5. Prepare you for higher-level science courses. Some students discover that colleges they wish to apply to request the submission of several SAT II test scores or Advanced Placement test scores.

6. Use common chemicals more effectively and safely. These common chemicals include soaps, detergents, antacids, lotions, shampoos, and the extra added ingredients in the hundreds of different items in supermarkets, drug stores, hardware stores, paint stores, etc.

7. Understand your nutritional needs. Many nutritional programs are based the concept of a balance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and fluids. These nutritional programs help you avoid ?running on empty?.

8. Understand the cause of and solutions for environmental dilemmas. These include ozone depletion. Global warming, toxic waste disposal, water and soil contamination, etc.

9. Build your motor skills. You will be working with a variety of chemicals, equipment and glassware that needs to be handled very carefully.

10. Develop your management skills. You will need to develop a strategy to synthesize the experiences of experimentation, class discussions, and reading. and research into an understanding of processes and concepts.

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