Chemistry 36
GENERAL CHEMISTRY
Spring 2002
Study Guide
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CHEM 36 consists of a series of lectures covering the basic principles of elementary chemistry. The course is divided into three sections, and at the end of each there will be an examination to evaluate each student's understanding of the material. Problem solving will be done during the lecture hour and review sessions will be held to go over problems. The lectures are coordinated with a laboratory sequence which relates, in part, to the lecture material. The assigned problems and the reading assignments in the text are summarized in the Course Schedule. The solutions to all of the problems will be made available as the class progresses.
Pay close attention to the Course Schedule and try to read ahead and understand the material relevant to each lecture ahead of time. This will facilitate your understanding and increase your ability to follow closely the development of each topic. If you do not do this, you may find that you cannot assimilate the material properly during the lecture period. I will post on the web any PowerPoint presentation slides that I use in class -- you may also find it helpful to look at the slides for a particular subject area prior to attending the associated lecture. There are many ways of learning chemistry. One of the best is problem solving and, while the assigned problems are not collected or graded, I strongly recommend that they be done. Examination questions may come from lecture slide material, assigned problems, lab experiments and a variety of miscellaneous sources. DO NOT FALL BEHIND! The course is carefully structured so that you should have no difficulty with the material if you follow the recommended study schedule, attend lectures, do all the assigned problems, and make sure that those problems not done correctly are eventually understood . . . before the examination. Please do not hesitate to see me if you are having difficulties or have questions which were not answered during the lecture hour. During the first week of class I will announce and post specific office hours for individual and small group discussions. If you cannot come at those times, I will be pleased to make an appointment for a more convenient time. In addition, feel free to stop by my office at any other time, although I cannot guarantee that I will be there or that I will not be busy. I also appreciate any anonymous comments, questions, etc., which may be left in the cardboard box at the exit of the lecture room. I will pick these up at the end of each lecture and will answer them at the following lecture, or individually, as is necessary. |
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The assigned problems are for your benefit and are not to be handed in. You are strongly encouraged to do not only the assigned problems, but also any additional problems in the text that you desire.
WARNING: Procrastination may be hazardous to your health! There are ALOT of assigned problems! Working a few problems each day will save you the misery of doing hundreds of them the day before the exam (you also learn more by doing them over a longer period of time). Solutions to the assigned problems will be made available to you (online) as the class progresses. |
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While CHEM 36 is not too large of a class, active discussion during lectures can be challenging at times. If you do have a question or comment, please speak loud enough so that everyone can hear you. At the front of the lecture room is a cardboard box for anonymous comments, questions, criticism or whatever else you wish. You may put items there as you leave the lecture and, if they are of general relevance, I will try to answer or comment at the beginning of the next lecture. Comments on any aspect of the course (lab, lecture, etc.) are welcome. |
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The laboratory is a necessary adjunct of this course, designed to both introduce you to some new material, reinforce other material, and give you some idea of the distinction between reading about and actually doing chemistry. Some of the experiments will require brief reports whereas others will require a more detailed exposition. Your laboratory grade will be based on your general ability to carry out experiments, the accuracy with which your results are recorded and interpreted, your laboratory quiz results, and a subjective evaluation by the laboratory instructor of your overall ability in the laboratory.
Laboratories will begin the week of January 28th. You must be enrolled in a laboratory section in order to take this course. |
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Every week, I will hold a review/problem-solving session. The purpose of these sessions is to go over specific details of the lecture material, work problems, and general review. No new material will be introduced in these sessions and your attendance is strictly optional. (This session will be scheduled based on information regarding your course schedule that you provide me.) |
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This course will make extensive use of electronic and web-based materials. ALL course materials (lecture presentation slides, assignments, lecture and lab schedules, handouts, old exams and answer keys, grades, etc.) will be available online at the course website:
http://www.uvm.edu/~jgoldber/courses/chem36/ If you are looking for ANY information regarding this course, please look at the website first; if it is important, it will probably be there! |
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On most Fridays, a short quiz will be given on the week's material. These will be graded and then returned to you and discussed in class on the following Monday. |
