Introduction to Classand

The Nature of Science

Chemistry 131Syllabus and Chap. 1

Table of Contents

PowerPointGuide

Syllabus and Course Expectations

The Nature of Science Pretest

PowerPoint Guide

I use PowerPoint along with a number of other tools through out the term and want you to get the most out of the tools I do provide. The following few slides are to show you how to utilize the tools available to you.

?

Where do I get the Files?

• All files will be located on the class webpage

http://docireland.org/JCC/?page_id=569

• This is the course-specific subpage of the overarching website.

http://docireland.org/JCC/• These sites will be useful links to use,

bookmarking them never hurts.

What Will I Find There?

• The Main Web Page has my JCC Blog which has all course announcements.

• The Course Specific Page contains things such as…– Grades– PowerPoint Files– Copies of hardcopy files– Etc…

Do I need a fancy computer?

The majority of static-content files will be available in PDF format. This can be read on any decent computer with the free reader (click either below to get the program).

http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Static-Content?

Static-Content means that nothing in the file is able to be manipulated by the user. This would be things like a document or a non-interactive PowerPoint file.

What else is there?

• Some of the PowerPoint Presentations I will be using have interactive features built-in to help you navigate on your own. To use these you need PowerPoint or the free PowerPoint Viewer (click below).

Interactive PowerPoint?

Sure, you guys have seen it before whenever you have seen an animation in a PowerPoint. Now click or press again.

Click the mouse or Press the Space Bar.

Use your Mouse to Click on the icon to the right

However, PowerPoint has a lot more power to navigate and interact with you than that, so let’s play a little.

Why fool around with it anyway?

The Art of Presenting versus Downloads

That’s it?!? No, just click the Icon.

PowerPoint is first and foremost a Presentation software, meaning it is used to give a presentation. We would get very bored if I simply read everything off the slide verbatim, so good slides tend to have minimal text and images and the audience listens to the speaker present. This aspect of the presentation can be lost in a static download, so I will be embedding explanations in the slides that will only be revealed if you click on the trigger icon. This allows the presentations to be useful both inside and outside the class, without becoming what are called (in a derogatory manner) slideuments.

Okay… what else is there

Nonlinear Navigation

Click on the Icon below that looks like a House… then click the one that looks like a Left-Facing Arrow (don’t worry it will make sense).When you are done, click the ? Icon

?

Icons through out the presentations will allow you to move through the Presentation in a nonlinear fashion. This will allow me to add things in for you to use outside of class and not show them in class. In addition, it allows you to easily jump through a presentation in your own way.

What is with the Icons?

Icons, or symbols, are used throughout to provide information with limited space used.

HOME – Hyperlink to Presentation Table of Contacts

FORWARD – Skip to the next section of the Presentation

BACK – Skip to the previous section of the Presentation

HELP – Unveils additional informational text on a slide

QUIZ – Hyperlink to a PowerPoint based self-quiz on the material

One More Thing…

I also added various hyperlinks to terms used in the presentations to help with the difficult terminology.

You simply need to hover your mouse over the underlined terms and a glossary definition will appear. Try it on the term above.

Syllabus and Course Expectations

Here are the expectations of the course, including the breakdown for grades and the assessment rubric.

Course Description

Fills requirement for some non-science majors. Provides background for CEM 141 for those with no recent high school chemistry. Fundamental principles of chemistry such as states of matter, simple atomic and molecular structure, and the periodic classification of elements. The study of water emphasizes the properties of solutions and acid-base relations. Course includes a laboratory component.

Prerequisites are ENG085 and MTH031 or higher.

Course Grades Scale

4.0 = 100% - 90.0%3.5 = 89.9% - 85.0%3.0 = 84.9% - 80.0%2.5 = 79.9% - 75.0%2.0 = 74.9% - 70.0%1.5 = 69.9% - 65.0%1.0 = 60.0% - 64.9%0.5 = 50.0% - 59.9%

Assessments for Course

• Labs – 110 Points TotalThere are twelve total labs, each worth 10 points and the highest eleven count

• Weekly Quizzes – 320 Points TotalThere are nine weekly quizzes, each worth 40 points and the highest eight count.

• Exams – 400 Points TotalThere are five exams, each worth 100 points and the highest four count.

Extra Credit and Make Up Policy

The simple answer is that there is no extra credit (departmental

policy) and no make-up work.

There is a departmental policy that prohibits the awarding of extra credit in science courses. In addition, due to the fact that I drop your lowest quiz, exam and lab, there should be no reason for any make-up work. This way I do not have to judge a reason adequate or not, but at the same time you are responsible for your own actions. If you make it till the end of the term without needing the dropped scores, it will make your end of term easier… so try your best on every section.

Use of Notes

• Weekly Quizzes: Any of your own hand-written notes.

• Exams: A single 3X5 index card, both sides, with any handwritten notes.

I advise that you not rely on your notes as your sole support during the quizzes. The quizzes are timed and if you have not studied you will not finish the work in time.

The purpose of the note card is to alleviate test anxiety with regards to the formulas and terminology involved. Failure to study and practice at using this information will make it worthless on the exam.

Attendance Policy

Since participation in the class is essential for success, it is the policy of the course that you will not be allowed to pass the class if you fail to attend three (3) of more labs, miss two (2) or more exams, or three (3) or more weekly quizzes. Failure to meet these requirements will result in being dropped (before midterm) or failed (after midterm) if the student does not withdraw or is not granted an Incomplete.

The Nature of Science

Is this how you view Science?

Phenomenon

Hypothesis

Theory

Law

Educated Guess

Experimentation

Experimentation

The Schoolhouse Rock Version of ScienceThis is meant to imply that it is an overly simplified version of what happens in science. While we all liked those vignettes as kids, they only glossed over what ever topic they covered. Now it is time to mature your view of science.

What is in a Meaning?

Apocalypse

The end of times or the end of the world.

Any revelation or prophecy visited upon a few and withheld from many.

Scientific Thought

• Hypothesis - A testable statement about how an experiment will turn out, informed by scientific theory.

• Theory - A coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena.

• Law - a statement of a relation or sequence of phenomena invariable under the same conditions.

Modern Science

• Scientific Laws delineate the workings of the physical world – The Law of Gravity

• Scientific Theories explain how the world works and are accepted to be the best available explanation – The Theory of Gravity

• Hypotheses are formed through the workings of a theory

Revised View of Science

Scientific Theory

Explain

Scientific Law

Allow Development of

Hypothesis

Refine and Test

Consequences of Revised View

• A scientific theory can never be proven, but is accepted as the best explanation available at the time.

• Scientific hypothesis and theory must be falsifiable.

• Science is an evolving process• Science cannot answer all questions

Pretest

This course demands a certain level of mathematical rigor. The required math is not very difficult, but seems to be to most students since they are math-phobic. The pretest is to give you an idea of where you stand in terms of mathematical preperation for this class and to allow you to self-assess how much you need to do to catch up, if needed. This is not graded

Answers to the Pretest