Can learning physics improve understanding of chemistry?

[TMNT]

so what advice do you guys have for me? besides studying,links? sources?

thanks i would really apreciate it

 

[mrjeffy321]

What type of Chemistry are we talking about here? High school chem. class, College General Chemistry, ...?

Not that this is the best solution for everyone, but for me, getting practical experience working with chemicals, doing reactions on my own [in my kitchen], and "speaking the language" really helps.
If you see a chemical reaction in a book, some people might just see the letters and symbols, but if you have actually witnessed the reaction, it means to much more.

Which means more to someone, this
3Fe3O4 + 8Al --> 9Fe + 4Al2O3
Or http://amazingrust.com/Experiments/how_to/Images/Thermite(3-12-06).jpg" ?

Synthesizing a compound gives you a new appreciation for the chemical and how it reacts.

So practice would be my advice, both in the practical aspect, and the computational aspect.

 

[The P-manator]

True dat. Do some REAL experiments. Real fun, real cool.

 

[TMNT]

What type of Chemistry are we talking about here? High school chem. class, College General Chemistry, ...?

Not that this is the best solution for everyone, but for me, getting practical experience working with chemicals, doing reactions on my own [in my kitchen], and "speaking the language" really helps.
If you see a chemical reaction in a book, some people might just see the letters and symbols, but if you have actually witnessed the reaction, it means to much more.

Which means more to someone, this
3Fe3O4 + 8Al --> 9Fe + 4Al2O3
Or http://amazingrust.com/Experiments/how_to/Images/Thermite(3-12-06).jpg" ?

Synthesizing a compound gives you a new appreciation for the chemical and how it reacts.

So practice would be my advice, both in the practical aspect, and the computational aspect.

oh ok, yeah its general chemistry at a community college

 

[TMNT]

our college offers chemistry 100 which is MODECULE/LIFE IN MODERN WORLD

and i qualify for chem 121 which is general chemistry

am i better off at taking chem 100 since i have never took chem before?

or should i just take chem 121 which I'm qualified for?

 

[rctrackstar2007]

our college offers chemistry 100 which is MODECULE/LIFE IN MODERN WORLD

and i qualify for chem 121 which is general chemistry

am i better off at taking chem 100 since i have never took chem before?

or should i just take chem 121 which I'm qualified for?

there is a reason you are qualified for it so do that one

 

[mrjeffy321]

It is very hard to judge based purely on the course names. Do you happen to have a course descrption for each?

The chemistry 100 class might be a Chem. class which is aimed more at non science students, just giving them the basics, whereas Gen. Chem. will give you a much better background which you'll need for more advanced chemistry classes.

Based upon my own experiences taking General Chemistry I and II at my university, they cover all the important background topics you would expect to also be covered in a good high school course (at least we did in my High school chemistry class), but they cover the important parts more indepth. In my Gen. Chem. I class, they assumed you did have some previous background in chemistry, but even still, they taught the class as if you did not.

 

[DaveN2NL]

Yes - seeing the course descriptions would allow those offering opinions to give better ones.

I'm attending a CC, and am finishing up the 1st semester of General Chemistry (for Engineering and Science majors). You needed to have a good understanding of the mole concept, molar masses, chemical formulas, balancing equations, sig figs, ETC or you would have a very difficult time in this course. I took an Intro to Chemistry class prior to this one and would have been dead meat without it, even though I had a good exposure to chemistry in HS.

If it's a general chem for non-science/engineering majors, you'll probably be fine.

-Dave

 

[pivoxa15]

When I first studied chemistry it was at uni as well and I did not understand much although I did the problems okay. But even after the exam I still felt I lacked chemical sense so I stopped taking it. I took physics for the first time as well at uni and after a year of that, I now goto some of the chemistry lectures for fun and feel that I understand the lecturer a lot more. So learning some physics definitey helps and will also make you appreciate both chemistry and physics more. You will realize that the basis of chemistry is all physics.