February 28, 2008

I Hate Chemistry

It's a specific title of my unfinished-book, but here I don't wanna talk about it. You must be wondering as I'm a chemistry teacher but why I title it so? I loved chemistry but less than physic or math when I was at school. I just liked stoichiometry as the calculation part of chemistry field. It includes general mole concepts, buffer calculations, hydrolysis components, and all things of basic calculation in chemistry. Because I loved math so much, no wonder I loved stoichiometry only at young age.

But nowadays I know how to learn easily chemistry. When we wanna learn something new, we should find the key first and then the door will open widely, right? Here are the keys.
First, use your logical math to replace
chemistry problems. It's easier then to solve it. For example, it says a student adds a number of mixture of two kinda metals into a HCl solution, the new mixture releases 1 liter of hydrogen gas at rtp, and you must calculate how many grams of each metal. For solving the given problem, you should know which metal will react or if they two will react with HCl solution. If one metal only will react, it will be easier to solve it because you can assume that all 1 liter of hydrogen gas as the product are produced from one reaction only. Hence another one doesn't react with HCl, it doesn't produce hydrogen gas. Base on the given reaction, you can determine the mole number of hydrogen gas and also other substances. Once you've known the number of moles, you can calculate all things by converting the number of moles into the given questions.
If the two metals will react with HCl solution, just think that the hydrogen gas is produced by two reactions between metals and HCl solution. Hence we have two reactions, we need to assume that we have X liter of hydrogen gas from one reaction and (1 - X) liter of hydrogen gas from another one. You further must convert them into the number of moles of each hydrogen. By that way, you can calculate the number of moles of other substances of each reaction. So you can go further to solve the problem.

Second, you must put the problem as it's your daily activity only. For example, when you're asked to prepare 1 liter of potassium chloride solution
1 M, put the job as your mommy is asking you to prepare a glass of water with some sugar. You'll run some questions. How sweet is the solution your mum want you to prepare? What do you do first, add water or sugar in the glass? By that way you can go to calculate the number of mass of potassium chloride. Find a specific relation between molarity (as it's asked) and mass (as it's the real thing you have at laboratory). Convert molarity into mass. Then do your job because your mum has been waiting for her water!

Third, put chemistry as a real case in your life. So no other way you may learn chemistry easily and clearly but do experiments as it's impossible to face a hard life if you're just sitting alone in your own emptied-room. For this case, I can't suggest you something as we all have known what kinda laboratory we have at our school. And about how poor laboratories in national schools in our country, we should run this question at the government. I myself don't wanna place you in a fire seat in this case but you can make your comment here freely. It's our space to speak freedom as our foundations had proclaimed our independence day years ago. If there's no something wrong in our country, people should be able to speak freely, right?

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4 Comments:

Blogger mine.... said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

March 30, 2008  
Blogger mine.... said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

March 30, 2008  
Blogger mine.... said...

Assalamulaikum wr wb
Chemistry????
When i was in the first class, i don't like it...It's so hard to understand...
But i TRY TO learn it well...
When i was in the second class of SEnior High SchooL, i LIKE IT. Chemistry is noT a night mare again, BUT IT IS very sweet like chocolate,candy and pure sugar...
I really like it...It's veRy interesting...
I like chemistry and also my chemistry teacher( Bu wid,Bu reni, Pak Gede). I think they are very smart. They are good teachers for me.
For this chance, I want to say thanks for all my chemistry teachers.Thanks for helping me. Let's SPIRIT AND Good lUck....
Alhamdulillah....
Wass wr wb

FAIZ...IPA 4....

March 30, 2008  
Blogger wyd said...

hope your three teachers will see your nice comment.

by reading your comment, i think u're a nice student who will proud of your teachers wherever u're as many young people cant do.

keep doing such good habit

may god bless u

March 30, 2008  

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