Monday: 3 February: You did so very well on that darn density lab! Let me tell you what I saw:
I saw you stay focused during the pre-lab and I think you really tried to master the vernier calipher. Your measurements prove it!
Did you pick up as to the consistency that existed between the volume calculated with measurements from the vernier caliper and the volume obtained from the graduated cylinder? Couple that to the fact that your values for density were really good. You were fire! Bravo and Brava!
Assignment: For your density lab report, be sure to follow the template I gave you, and be sure to complete questions 1, 3 and 4 in the green lab manual. Be sure to answer question 1 using your AVERAGE VALUES! Don't forget your reflection. I am going to really look at it for how you handled the challenge of the vernier caliper. (What made you so successful / gave you heart ache?) . Staple your data tables with your averages to your report.
If you gave me a "hard-copy" of your alchemy labs , I have graded them up. I shall give them back to you on Thursday.
Some of you were Mary Poppins ... Practically Perfect People (or at least your work was practically perfect). Many of you are invited to fix some of the pieces that are missing. Some forgot the reflection, others forgot the alloy question found on the pre-lab.
Virtually everyone cited their sources. Abso-freaking-lutely Fabulous! It is so good to see.
I offer a re-write for this first lab only, in simple recognition that it is your first attempt. So we shall discuss this in class on Thursday.
As to class, we put a wrap (for now) on Big Idea #1 LCME (Law of the Conservation of Matter and Energy).
We then attacked the classifications chemists use for matter.
We are up to page 9 of the notes.
There are SUBSTANCES & MIXTURES. Matter is generally going to be one or the other.
Substances are either elements or compounds . I spent a fair amount of time trying to get you to recognize when you are looking at an element or compound, when reading/researching articles.
A symbol made with only one type of capital letter is going to be read as being an elemental substance.
O2(gas), Na(solid), etc.
The atoms of an element all share a common atomic number (or, they all have the same number of protons in their nucleus).
I divide the elements into 4 categories, loosely based upon what they do with their electrons.
Metals or Metallic elements tend to lose electrons to other non-metal atoms.
Nonmetals tend to gain electrons from atoms which hold onto their electrons more weakly (very often metals).
Metalloids can do a little bit of everything. We don't work very often with metalloids as they are a funky collection that even have chemists arguing.
Noble Gases don't really lose or gain their electrons. There a a few minor exceptions - but the big picture is that they have all the electrons needed and these elements tend NOT to make compounds.
A symbol made with two or more DIFFERENT capital letters in a strict ratio will be read as being a compound substance. Examples are compounds like H2O(liquid), or C6H12O6 (solid)
Recall that comound substances (or just compounds) can be decomposed into simpler substances and have chemical bonds (a form of potential energy) between the species that comprise the compound.
The elements that make up a compound tend to lose their individual properties/identities.
To use the metaphor I was developing in class:
An element is like a LETTER of the alphabet: whole and unique
A compound is like a WORD. There is a fixed ratio between the letters (elements) . Change a letter (element) and you change the compound.
Mixtures are the most common experience for us. They are physical combinations of substances.
A mixture are like a sentence - any number of letters and/or words strung together physically. The number of words can be changed.
Today I have been thinking that to better grasp what I mean by a physical combination - we should touch on what we mean by a chemical reaction. You can know what something is, by what it isn't.
So I may just attack that issue on Thursday.
Okay, I feel that's it. Write with questions. I will see you Thursday. It was a very good Monday. Stay safe out on the roads come Thursday - there will be some snow.
Thursday, 30 January: Well we are well into the first note packet. I needed to jump around a touch only to help prep us for Monday's lab on measurement and density.
First, a little housekeeping:
1) Two assignments are due on Monday:
a) Your lab report for your Alchemy Lab is due. The template for writing a report is in the introductory packet. There are three questions to answer: Questions 1 and 2 from the green lab manual and the third question regarding alloys in history (found in the prelab I handed out ,and you can find it here on this site if you need to do so). You need to cite your sources for question 2 - so don't forget. There is also a reflection to write. Recall that the reflection is about the interior dialogue you had during the lab and/or the conversations you had with a partner. What made you successful? What don't you understand? What allowed you to get through the experience successfully, or what held you back?
b) Your 5 questions piece. This does not need to be grand. I would like to know some questions you might have so I can build pieces into the course.
Okay, on to the lecture.
We focused upon two concepts
1) Big Idea #1: The Law of the Conservation of Matter (Energy and Charge)
2) Matter has dimensions - measurable qualitites such as; Mass vs. Volume and Density
The Law of the Conservation fo Matter, Energy and Charge surrounds a basic idea in chemistry.
You cannot get out what you did not put in.
You cannot get out MORE than you put in.
You cannot get out LESS than you put in.
Matter (energy and charge) cannot simply disappear via reaction chemistry activities. Each is conserved.
Matter may change phase (turn from a solid to a gas, or new bonds may be made between atoms givng us new compounds). But the total amount of matter does not change.
Energy may convert from mechanical to infrared and be transferred (Recall rubbing our hands together and then putting them to our faces.).
We are going to see this Big Idea over and over again throughout the course.
That conversation brought us to page 6 of the notes.
We then hopped over to page 22 of the notes to discuss mass, volume and especially density.
Density is the compactedness of matter. Density is a ratio (a direct proportion) between mass and volume.
Under constant tempereature and pressure, as mass increases, so too must the volume of the sample increase.
They scale with each other - hence density becomes a constant. As we (hopefully) will see in lab, the density of a long rod of aluminum metal will have the same density as a small rod of aluminum metal.
Sure the longer rod is more massive - but it also has more volume when compared to the smaller rod.
Hence the density should be the same.
Now mass is a tough idea to define. I attacked the definition with a demonstration of what might be termed inertial mass. (That was the coin in the cup demo.) I compared the quarter to the jar of pennies.
It was much too difficult to sweep the cardboard out from under the jar of pennies - hence the jar of pennise was more massive relative to the quarter.
With this work regarding the concept of MASS, I took a fair amount of time to differentiate between mass and WEIGHT.
WEIGHT is concerened with mass in a gravitational field. The word weight and mass seem to be interchangeable but that is only because the gravitational field on Earth is relatively similar wherever you are. There are some hiccups as at the equator, the poles , in Death Valley or atop the Himalaya Mountain range. But for most of us, the gravitational field pushing us down (hmmmmm) is not terribly different from place to place.
However, weight and mass are not really the same thing. When we go to the Moon, our mass is constant but our weight is less because the gravitational field of the Moon is 1/6 that of the Earth's. Hence, the muscles built here on Earth can do amazing things on the Moon - for a while, at least. (Things change ... "da-da-da-ta" ... more to come later!!!!!!
We then did a little density demonstration. (The golf ball in the graduated cylinder). The gold ball only sank so far - because a mixture of GREATER density (saltwater) was at the bottom of the cylinder.
Okay - Monday gets us a little story about a famous power couple of the 1700s and moves us into an introduction regarding the types or categories of matter.
Write with any questions! You did really, really well in class - you were engaged and focused. Bravo and Brava!!!!
Monday, 27 January :
We began lecture and made it up to page 5 of the notes.
The main theme of the evening was on differentiating between matter and energy.
We began however, with a look at the definitions of science and then of chemistry.
Science is a process - not just information. Science is the process of constructing understanding of the the universe. We need data, facts, the information - but science weaves information into knowledge - something used to make predictions or to further explanations.
I grant you that focusing on such a definition may seen a bit different - but it may help you to grasp what I want to do with our time in class. I want to move you away from simply memorizing facts (don't become a telephone book) to using information to build ideas/understanding of the universe.
As an aside - don't get upset when "science" tells you something has changed. Science hasn't lied to you - it has simply refined its process and learned something new. Science is dynamic - it's all about life long learning.
I want you to be part of that dynamism! I am expecting you to think! To construct understanding. That's a pretty big goal.
If you recall the notes - You and I ARE the universe, expressing itself as human for a time. We are the stuff of stars, the stuff of ancient, ancient matter and energy.
With that, we took a minute to see that chemistry deals with matter in terms of its properties & composition. The reactions (changes) matter undergoes , and the energy associated with those changes.
We spoke a bit about reaction chemistry (all about those electrons) and nuclear chemistry (surrounding the protons and neutrons).
This led us to taking a long look at matter - anything with a mass and volume. (A fascinating - but more advanced question - is asking why matter has volume ... why do we or any type of matter take up space? That answer is found in the Pauli Exclusion Principle!!! More later)
However, when I was a student I found that idea of mass and volume a touch "out there". I couldn't wrap my mind around it's true implication - so I offered everyone a metaphor.
Matter is anything we can put into and keep (for a reasonable time period) in a balloon. As I said, all metaphors fail at some point - but I like that idea of matter and balloon. It's a good initial metaphor of what we mean by mass and volume.
Using a balloon I can imagine more matter means a greater volume (the balloon stretching into space) and a greater mass. I stopped for a second to just to mention that mass and weight are not really identical - more on that later.
Anything which is not matter, is probably energy - as we can know what something is, by what it is not!
Energy is the ability to create a change or to do work.
Work is that whole thing about force and distance (W = F x d). I threw a pen ... or even better, for our HPX majors ... how muscle contraction can be used as an example of work (energy), by allowing actin and myosin fibers to slide or move over each other. Energy was used to manage that change in position.
Excercising uses energy!
I like the bit about creating a change. I can understand that much better with ideas like photosynthesis, where sunlight (the energy) creates a change in the structure of carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose.
Now, while working to develop a grasp of matter as having mass and volume we took a side road into the work of Einstein.
And I sort of feel that side road can be valuable. As I said in class - we could look at matter as highly, insanely, organized energy. It's a neat idea - but not very practicle for first year students. So we worked away at trying to understand that, in chemistry, we sort of divide up matter and energy.
Another side road took us into the composition of the atmosphere.
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air! (Hmmmm)
That ocean of air is approximately 78% nitrogen gas, 21% oxygen gas with the remaining 1% made up of gases like carbon dioixde, carbon monoxide, helium, sulfer dioxide etc...
We inhale this ocean and we exhale some slightly different version of it. We use some of the oxygen we breathe in but our exhaled breath is still running at approximately 18%!!!!! (Remember .... mouth to mouth resuscitation!)
We wrapped up class with a little closure and we developed a list of some of the more salient pieces from the class . Ihope this blog reinforces some of that learning.
Remember ... Tell them what you're going to say. Say it. Tell them what you said. This works for class presentations, teaching, speeches - all sorts of things.
Lab went really well. Each of you were marvellous!!!!!!
It was a long night - full of safety rules, pre-lab, maybe some anxiety - and everyone handled it with grace and aplomb! (That's really old man-speak for - "You folks were jake" ... which is just old man speak for "You folks were cool" ....which really means "You did really well - be proud of yourselves")
Okay, write with questions and/or concerns. I will check my email periodically.
I look forward to seeing each of you on Thursday!
23 January: First Evening of Class!
Assignments:
1) Our first laboratory is next Monday evening (27 Jan). Read the introduction in your lab manual . In the introduction you will find the objective of the lab. You need this for your lab report.
However, the pre-lab lecture notes, the actual procedure we will use and the lab write up requirements are found in this document: Alchemy Lab (click here to open). You have a hard copy in your possession already. I am providing the link for your convenience if you need to get another copy.
BTW: I will have pennies for you. There is no need to bring in your own pennies. During lab I will get you goggles and we will also go over the safety rules for lab and sign off on the introductory packet.
2) Complete the assignment Five Questions (click here). This is due on Monday 3 February 2025 at the start of lecture. You have a hard copy in your possession - but I am providing a link nonetheless.
Now, onto class.
You were asked to pick up a copy of everything from the front desk. You have a copy of;
1) the Unit 1 Part 1 Note Packet
2) a periodic table of the elements
3) the Introductory Packet with the dates / procedures and expectations of the course
4) your lab manual
5) a copy of the alchemy lab (We do a slightly different prodcedure)
6) an assignment called the Five Questions
If you failed to get these artifacts or were you to lose something, you can find digital copies of 5 of the 6 on this website (either under the first tab, or under this blog tab). See me regarding a missing lab manual.
In class we went through the introductory packet. A number of points were highlighted. This number indludes, but is not limited to:
1) this website and its use/organization
2) this course being a writing intensive course
3) the importance to be in attendance
4) the importance of the laboratory program
5) how to remediate missed classes when the day goes wrong
6) the importance of citation of source materials
7) grading
8) important dates
Okay - not much more to add. Timliness to class matters - so get in as soon as you can. My thoughts on this is that you would not be late for a lawyer or doctor's appointment if at all possible - so don't be late for your own education - treat yourself that well.
You can find me in our classroom most evenings before class - take the opportunity to drop in. Treat this like unofficial office hours. Come in, chat about class or tennis or art or cars or whatever might be on your mind.
Drop me an email with any questions. I look forward to seeing you Monday evening.