Wondering about sequences of topics and what does it take to require one to go “All-In” to draw a term from elsewhere. Topics covered during the initial chapter of almost any chemistry text book include the nature of science and chemistry, scientific method, scientific notation, unit conversions between english and metric systems, dimensional analysis, significant figures, and reasoning/problem solving skills.
What do they really need to go forward? What can I expect them to know coming in if the course has a prerequisite of previous chemistry experience? Are there topics or parts of topics that can be cut from the above list selectively without disrupting or making the remainder incoherent and useless?
I want my students to get a good handle on reasonable quantities, how to determine if the answer on the calculator is rational and realistic, and to accurately report what they know (14 is not the same as 14.0). It seems, however, that discussing how to convert from miles to centimeters leaves the vast majority bored. Then I get a student in lab that asks if they need to remember all three density formulas (D=m/V, m=D*V, V=m/D) and I really want to scream that density is not a formula, it is a conversion factor used to convert between mass and volume.
After spending the “better?” part of a week and a half on this material, I find myself wondering, once again as I have in the past, if I can shorten the coverage and skip some of it so that we can move on to topics that should be a greater struggle. Then I stop to wonder about what unintended consequences a change like that would precipitate.
Chemistry with Dr. Mark 