What's Chemistry?
What is Chemistry?
Bill Yau
Recently, I asked my little sister the question, "What is chemistry?". She replied, �It�s where you mix chemicals around in tubes and make all sorts of colorful smoke.� I�m sure other young children have the same view of chemistry. Many youths might envision a man in a lab coat with hair in disarray, pouring chemicals together and making a huge explosion. Certainly, by the way movies and other media portray chemists, such images are bound to force their way into people�s minds. And since I�ve watched more movies than I should have, those images of chemists and chemistry have been basically imprinted onto my brain.
It was not until I was a sophomore that I had to take chemistry. I went into class the first day expecting to see the lab area of the room lined with all sorts of bubbly mixtures, sizzling acids, or gassy liquids. What I really saw was a bunch of junk covering the lab area. This was because our attention was not needed there. Instead, it was called to the question, �What is Chemistry?� My fellow classmates suggested answers to this from their own knowledge. However, everyone eventually looked at the definition given by the textbook �Modern Chemistry�. The textbook defined chemistry as �the study of the composition, structure, and properties of matter and the changes it undergoes�. I perceived that definition as a fancy way of saying the study of what makes something, and how it changes.
As the year progressed, I began to lose my impression of chemistry as simply blowing things up in bright flashes of light. A major thing I learned was that chemistry was extremely math orientated. From all the years of science I�ve ever had, not much had to do with math outside of addition and subtraction. Therefore, the math of chemistry was something I did not expect at all. At times, the school day seemed to have two periods of math: one being elementary functions and the other being chemistry. Sometimes, I even viewed the latter to be harder than the former, due to the numerous long equations one had to memorize for each chapter.
Unlike the mad scientist who randomly mixes whole tubes of whatever chemicals are near his hand, true chemistry is very precise in measurements and requires specific substances. If a person doesn�t measure out enough substance for use in a lab, either nothing would happen, or worse, something totally unexpected might occur. If the person measures out too much substance for use in a lab, the expected would occur, except the excess substance would have been contaminated and would need to be disposed of. Also, too much substance in a reaction runs the risk of creating a reaction that was not predicted. In terms of requiring specific substances, chemistry is very strict. Sometimes, only two chemicals will react to create a certain product; nothing else will do.
In conclusion, I think the most important thing I can say to help a student who takes chemistry, is never let the math get to you. There are times when just looking at a certain problem will make you dizzy, such as ones involving the gas laws. However, if you can break through the thinking that you won�t be able to do that problem, and actually look at it and try to understand it, you�ll realize that the problem was a lot easier than you first thought. But then again, that bit of advice applies to everything.
What is Chemistry?
Nick DiJohn
Chemistry is the science dealing with the composition and properties of substances, and with th ereactions by which substances are produced from or converted in other substances. (new World Dictionary of the English Language, pg.244)
That is the dictionary definition, but in Laymen's terms, Chemistry is all about stuff and how some stuff makes other stuff. When I think of chemistry, I think of reactions, goggles, past teachers, and equations. I like chemistry becuase it has math in it, at which I am good.
To know chemistry is to understand what is happenning in reactions, how reactions occur, why they occur, and the nature of the reactants.
To 'do' chemistry is to cause reactions to occur and accomplish a given goal or task.
On to Combustion!