Learn Chemistry: Tips for Understanding Basic Concepts

[daniel_i_l]

As a requirement for a thermodynamics course I have to teach myself basic chemistry. I borrowed a book and thought it would be easy but after getting half way into the book I realized that I wasn't really understanding anything. The problem is that it just looks like an arbitrary list of rules together with some intuition - not the sound logic that you see in math or physics classes. I just couldn't find any basic rules that could be used to deduce the other rules. How can I understand chemistry? Or is it really just rote memory?
Thanks.

 

[bomba923]

Depends on the level at which you wish to learn chemistry...

 

[Howers]

General chemistry is what you're doing I am guessing. Its a bunch of established rules so you'd definitely need a lot of memory. It kind of differs from math because you start with all the results, and prove them in upper years. Kind of like building a house from roof to bottom. Once you get a feel for chem you can start deducing a lot of stuff, like properties of atoms by using the periodic table. Do lots of concept questions. Chem isn't that hard, but it takes a while to let the language sink in.