Science Through the Eyes of a Wolverine

The date to learn how to build and install an electrolyzer has been postponed until next Friday at noon. Today, only Bridget showed up, so we decided to wait until next week. Let’s all try to be there OK?

The book seems to be an issue right now. I did not realize that they were not going to be selling the books until mid August. Anyway, here is a plan around this…

A few of you have purchased books online and so you have been working on the assignment. That’s good. I have a few books to loan out to those of you who want to get started ASAP. What I would like to do is loan out a few of these books with the intention that you all will work on the assignments together and share the books. The reading for the first few chapters is not difficult and you should be able to catch up fairly quickly.

IMPORTANT: The schedule for the return date of school is unchanged. The day we get back we will have a quest on chapter 1 stuff.

It will cover…

chemical symbols and names, definitions of atoms, elements, molecules and compounds; physical properties; density and the density equation; temperature scales and conversions (C and K); extensive and intensive properties; chemical and physical changes; characteristics and differences of the 3 states of matter; the kinetic-molecular theory; differences and similarities between pure substances, homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures; metric prefixes and conversions; dimensional analysis and factor label method; difference between accuracy and precision; significant figures.

This should cover chapter 1. If you do not have and cannot get to a book, explore the internet (especially my favorite sites) and read up on this stuff.

The stuff to know for chapter 2 is:

the history of the atom; the structure of the atom (p, n and e-); isotopes and relation between p and n; RAM; molar mass; use molar mass in calculations; know groups names, periods, metals, non-metals on periodic table.

The stuff for chapter 3 is:

name compounds; write formulas for compounds (ionic and molecular); oxidation numbers, what they mean and what types of atoms give or recieve e-; know polyatomic ions (symbols and names); calculate molar mass; calculate moles from molar mass and vice versa; percent composition; empirical formulas; find the number of water molecules in a hydrated compound.

Most of this stuff can be found in last year’s notes also.

Be sure to ask lots of questions on the blog so that you do not have any when we get back. Check and re-check the schedule that I gave to you last year before you left for the summer.

There is no end of the week problem. This week’s reading didn’t provide any really good thought problems. Just make sure that you know the conversions in the metric system.

First of all–read the last weekly posting on assingnments and make sure you are completely caught up with all assignments turned in.

There are only three sections to read and they are fairly straight forward. Section 1.5 is the longest and you have to recall what to do with significant figures. Sig figs are big in AP. Then make sure you do all the applicable problems at the end of the chapter.

I will give you another end of the week quiz question that needs to be turned in by Sunday at midnight.

Also remember that next Sunday the 27th, the Marathon Problem (recently posted) is also due.

IMPORTANT: Keep up on the reading and assignments because we will be back to school before you know it and we will be having a quest over chapter 1 the day we get back. Then the next day will be chapter 2 quest and day 3 will be chapter 3 quest. Then we’ll have our first test on the Friday we get back over chapters 1-3.

Whew!

Hey everyone. I cannot meet on Tuesday at noon. Something has come up and a fuse in the car needs to be replaced, as well. Let us back it up to the 22nd and 29th.

 Sorry for any inconvenience:(

Neon, a gaseous element used in neon signs, has a melting point of -248.6ºC and a boiling point of -246.1ºC. Express these temperatures in Kelvins.

Don’t forget to turn in your response to the opening essay. I do not have a large number of students responding just yet. This is a little worrisome since these are the first grades you will be getting in AP Chem.

How about we all meet on Tuesday, July 15th at noon in my classroom? Then I can show you how it works and give you a list of materials you will need to make one. Then we can come back on July 22nd and I can show you each how to build one and then we can install them in your cars.

Today is the start of our Back to School lessons for AP Chemistry. I realize that you might find this to be quite the pain, but I believe that staying current on this basic stuff will benefit you greatly. Don’t forget, I still have to check my messages and respond to questions and correct answers to questions that you all post too. So, if I am going to use my summer vacation time for AP, then I must think it is pretty important.

Anyway, here we go…

Some of you have indicated that you would like to buy your book on-line but you need a number. I believe the book company is looking for the ISBN number. So, here is the title, edition and ISBN: CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL REACTIVITY, 5th edition, 0-03-033604-X. That should do it. If not, ask them specifically what they need and write it down and then call me or respond below.

For this week…

I am going to try to give you a day-to-day agenda to follow that I think is reasonable, but of course, you can go at the pace you would like as long as you finish through Section 1.3 by next Sunday (7/13).

Read the Preface to get an overview of the text. It is fairly important to do this each time you get a new college text. It gives you a good overview of how the text is laid out and what features it has that were designed to help you get the material in your brain. Don’t neglect this part. The SUPPORTING MATERIALS FOR STUDENTS is a good read as well. You can purchase extra things like the CD-ROM, Web-Based Learning System, Study Guide, Solutions Manual, Lecture Outline, Web Tutor, Power Points and Essential Math Tutorial to aid in your learning of the material. This is extra stuff that you do not necessarily need, but might help if you had.

Before you dive into the first chapter, take a look at the Preface to the Students. Skim this information as well. You might condsider stopping here for Day 1 on Monday 7/7/08. Or you can continue on.

Day 2:

Look over the Chapter Goals and Skim the Chapter Outline.

Read the Opening Essay (Out of Gas!) and respond to this essay in the Comment section below. Your response does not need to be a long, drawn out response. But respond to what you have read and any importance you have gleaned from the essay.

Look over the Chapter Focus on page 11 to make sense of this chapter’s main idea. Follow through the fill-in-the-blank notes up to the end of Section 1.2. Make sure to read and study all figures and side bars. If you do not have a CD-ROM, you will still be okay. The CD would just often give you a nice little video of what is being discussed in the chapter. You can stop here or continue on.

Day 3:

Complete the fill-in-the-blank notes for Section 1.3, completing all Excercises as they arise. The answers to the Exrecises are found in Appendix N starting on page A.40 in the back of the text. Now is the time to write a comment on anything that you do not understand in the Exercise sections. You may want to stop here or continue on.

Days 4-7:

Spend the rest of the week looking at the blue problems in the back of the chapter that you feel you can handle with the material you have read thus far. As always, use the Comment tab below to ask any thing you need to help you.

I will give you an end of section quiz question on Friday that is due in the comments section by Sunday at midnight. This, along with your response to the Opening Essay will be your grade for this week. 

End of Chapter Question (this is a Marathon Problem that will incorporate all that you have learned thus for); this question is due at midnight on July 27th.

A cylindrical bar of gold that is 1.5 inches high and 0.25 inches in diameter has a mass of 23.1984g, as determined on an analytical balance. An empty graduated cylinder is weighed on a triple-beam balance and has a mass of 73.47g. After pouring a small amount of liquid into the graduated cylinder, the mass is 79.16g. When the gold cylinder is placed in the graduated cylinder (the liquid covers the top of the gold cylinder), the volume indicated on the graduated cylinder is 8.5mL. Assume that the temperature of the gold bar and the liquid are 86ºF. If the density of the liquid decreases by 1.0% for each 10.ºC rise in temperature, determine

a. the density of the gold at 86ºF.

b. the density of the liquid at 40.ºF.