Chemistry Study Strategies and Concepts

Tips for Studying

• Take responsibility for your priorities, time, and resources.
• Focus on your values and principles, avoiding distractions from others.
• Identify your peak productivity periods and locations.
• Strive for a win-win outcome in your studies to benefit yourself, peers, and teachers.
• Seek solutions to course material challenges—don't just reread; consult other resources to understand the concepts.
• Continuously challenge yourself to deeply explore each topic.

Chemistry

• WHMIS: Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System; symbols used to identify dangerous materials.
• Matter is anything with mass and volume. Matter can be a pure substance or a mixture.
• Atomic Theories:
  • Dalton's: Atoms are indivisible particles.
  • Thomson's: Atoms contain smaller, negatively charged particles (electrons).
  • Rutherford's: Atoms have a dense, positively charged nucleus with orbiting electrons.
• Atomic Structure: Protons, neutrons, and electrons.
• Atomic number = number of protons
• Mass number = number of protons + neutrons
• Periodic Table: Elements organized by properties.
  • Metals (left side), nonmetals (right side), metalloids (bordering the "staircase").

Molecular and Ionic compounds

• Molecular Compounds (nonmetal + nonmetal): Atoms share electrons. Naming uses prefixes (mono, di, tri,...).
• Ionic Compounds (metal + nonmetal): Atoms exchange electrons. Naming uses the metal name, then the nonmetal name with an "-ide" suffix.
• Writing Formulas and Names Use the chemical symbol and appropriate numerical subscripts to determine the quantity of atoms composing the compound.
• Molecular and Ionic properties are specific to each compound.

Chemical Reactions

• A chemical reaction changes substances into new ones.
• Reactants form products in a reaction.
• Energy is involved in chemical reactions.
• Evidence of a reaction includes changes in color, odor, gas formation, and precipitate formation.
• Balanced Equations: Equal numbers of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.Use coefficients to balance these equations

Moles

• Avogadro's number (6.02 x 10²³) represents one mole of a substance.
• Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance (grams/mol).
• Moles = mass/molar mass

Atoms and Ions

• Atoms are made of protons, electrons, and neutrons.
• Ions have a charge because there are unequal numbers of protons and electrons
• Use the periodic table to find the number of protons, neutrons, electrons for an element, or a compound.

Naming Review

• Use subscripts to denote quantities of elements.
• Use proper chemical formulas

Physics

• Significant Digits: When multiplying, round to the number of digits in the least precise number.
• Motion: Uniform motion (straight line) and non-uniform motion (curved line on graph).
• Scaler vs. Vector Quantities
• Scalar Quantities: magnitude only (distance, speed)
• Vector Quantities: magnitude and direction (displacement, velocity, acceleration, force)
• Distance: Total distance traveled.
• Displacement: Straight-line distance from start to finish.
• Speed: Distance/time.
• Velocity: Displacement/time.
• Acceleration: Velocity/time.

Work and Energy

• Work: Force x distance in the same direction.
• Power: Work/time.
• Energy: Ability to do work.
• Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion (½mv²).
• Potential Energy: Stored energy due to position (mgh).
• Mechanical Energy: Total Potential and Kinetic Energies

Thermodynamics and Energy Transfer

• Laws of Thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. Every transfer involves a loss of usable energy, usually as heat.
• Energy Conversions: Energy can change from one form to another or be transferred from one object to another.
• Efficiency: A mathematical statement of how much energy is converted to usable work; efficiency is less than 100 percent

Biology

• Cells: Smallest functional unit of life. All living things are made of cells.
• Cell theory: All organisms are composed of cells. Cells are the basic unit of life. All cells arise from pre-existing cells.
• Plant cells vs Animal cells: Different organelles.
• Microscopes Compound light microscopes and electron microscopes
• Magnification: increase the size of an image.
• Image Quality: sharpness of the image. Includes resolution and magnification
• Cell types: A plant and animal cell have different functions and structures.
• Cell transport: Passive (diffusion, osmosis) and Active transport
• Photosynthesis a chemical reaction that converts energy from the sun into stored energy as chemical bonds in carbohydrates
• Cellular respiration: the chemical reaction that releases energy from carbohydrates for cellular functions

Other

• Units and Conversions: Use correct units when solving problems in each subject.
• Problem Solving Methods: Use methods relevant to the subject matter given.