Guest Blog: Chemistry Tips Chapters 1 & 2

This semester will be doing a semester long guest blogger series with tips and strategies for CHEM 105! Stay tuned all semester long as we get through this together!

Diagnosing Your Chemistry Problems by: Rachel Tucker

Hello to all you future and current health science majors! My name is Rachel Tucker and I am one of the chemistry tutors for the Math & Science Resource Center. Currently I am in my first year of ODU’s nursing program. It was just last year that I was in your shoes taking prerequisites like Chemistry, Statistics, and Anatomy & Physiology. All the hard work needed to get into the nursing program is proving to have been extremely valuable experience. You will need to rely on those good study skills to be successful once you are in your program.

For those hoping to move forward in a health science major, especially nursing, you may find yourself asking “why do I have to take chemistry?!?” I have not necessarily balanced any chemical reactions lately in any of my nursing classes. However, on a daily basis I am finding myself faced with a similar set up to problems. You are given information and an intended destination and then expected to problem solve your way from point A to point B. The most important things you learn from chemistry are the problem solving techniques and mode of thinking.

With that being said, I know the prerequisites for getting into any of the health science majors can be a challenge, especially chemistry. I just wanted to share a few tips and tricks to avoid common mistakes and help you achieve success in CHEM 105 (Intro to Chemistry).

Let’s just take a quick look at a few chapters at a time to review some of the common mistakes students make, how to avoid those mistakes, and same key concepts to carry forward in your studies.

Let’s review Chapters 1 & 2, dealing with Measurements and Energy:

Here are a few pointers and ideas to keep in mind:

• Significant figure rules – know these and how to apply them
  • When are zeros significant?
    • Zeros are significant when in between nonzero digits
      • 120056 = 6sig. figs.
    • Zeros are significant when to the left of a decimal point AND to the right of nonzero digits
      • .0002600 = 4 sig. figs.
    • Zeros are significant when to the left of a decimal point AND to the right of nonzero digits
      • 34000.0 = 6 sig. figs.
  • What are the rules for performing calculations?
    • When adding and subtracting numbers, round your final answer to the number of decimal places found in the given number with the least number of decimal places
      • 55.6 + 73.68 = round answer to tenths place
    • When multiplying and dividing, round final answer to the number of significant figures found in the given number with the least number of significant figures
      • 45.6 x 345.67 = round answer to 3 sig. figs.
  • TIP: remember these rules and apply them to all calculations in future chapters!
• Memorize the meanings of your quantity prefixes (i.e. kilo-, centi-, deci-). These are simply word additives that change the meaning of the root they attach to (i.e. gram, meter, etc.).
• When rounding, make sure to replace rounded off digits with zeros as placeholders.
  • Round 468293 to 4 significant figures = 468300 (NOT = 4683)
• Conversions
  • When given a problem to convert from one unit to another, follow this though process
    • Write out the information that is given – where are you starting and where are you trying to get?
    • Write out any conversion factors given.
    • Problem solve a path that will take you from point A to point B using the conversions and information given.
    • REMEMBER! Do not round until the final answer!

I wish you all the best in applying for your individual programs and please come by the chemistry-tutoring center in OCNPS 146 for help with any homework or study questions! We are open from 10am – 5pm M-F.