The Big Bad Test

Phew. That was a tough one. I don't think I have ever done so much math on a science test even if I were to combine every science test I've ever taken. It was very time consuming, and nearly the entire class was still working when the bell rung. Overall, it was a pretty difficult test, but I did get a good score on the quiz so that is great. I am hoping that this test isn't a total disaster in the grade book, and that my grade stays right around where it is at. For the next test I need to prepare on doing the questions quicker and finding shortcuts to save time. For now we will just have to wait and see what the result is.

Final Lesson

Next we dove into the final lesson of this unit. It turned out to be a fairly easy one for me, I felt like I understood it pretty well. We were learning about percent composition and empirical formulas. I remember seeing empirical formulas on the pretest and wondering what in the world that was, but now I knew that it was the lowest whole number ratio of elements in a compound.  We compared and contrasted empirical formulas to molecular formulas, and I ended up taking about 3 pages of notes which is pretty crazy. Even though it was a lot to take in, I felt pretty confident that I could do these kind of problems on the test coming up, but I need to do some more practice.



% Composition Help and Practice

Percent Composition Quiz!

How to Calculate the Empirical Formula

Hydrated Compounds

Now we are moving on to some even bigger and badder problems. Finding an unknown value for hydrates in an experimental type scenario. You would be given 3 masses that were used in the experiment and you would have to use them to find the mass of the: hydrate, anhydrous salt and the water driven off. These problems tended to be longer and require more work, but I favored them as opposed to the regular mole calculations.



Practice!

The Mole

This unit began with the highly anticipated mole. I did not expect this lesson to involve this much math and so many conversions. Initially, the whole process seemed like the hardest thing in the world. The Mole Road Map was a huge help in simplifying the process and making it much easier to remember the equation. After doing a few practice problems and memorizing the Mole Road Map, I really got the hang of it. I was now more confident when faced with these mole questions.



Mole Road Map Practice

More Mole Equation Practice

Last Meal Party Day

Boy oh boy was it spectacular getting to feast on food two Friday's in a row. All of my friends were filled with jealousy. They were asking me "What kind of class is this that you have a party every Friday!?". Then when I told them Chemistry they questioned why I was having so many parties in Chemistry class and I just smiled. I made brownies as my treat, and my classmates seemed to enjoy them. I was very intrigued by the puppy chow! Two people brought it and I had about 4 bowls of delicious puppy chow. I then walked around selling my brownies to my friends and some teachers which was really fun as well. It was so great to have a day like that following a test. Hopefully, we can have more days like that in the future!

Brownie Recipes                                                                                            Puppy Chow Recipe

Matter and Measurement Unit Test

Coming into the test I did not have the most confidence. This is mainly due to the poor result I received on the quiz earlier in the week. This unit test had more of the newer stuff we learned compared to the significant number questions on the quiz. I don't know how or why, but it felt as if everything was clicking for me on that test. I'd have to say it is probably the best I've felt on a test or quiz in here all year. I'm awaiting the (hopefully good) results.

Help with Significant Figures