Things I should always remember while doing Chemistry:
- Think chemistry. Focus on the solution components and their reactions. It will almost always be possible to choose one reaction that is the most important.
- Be systematic. Acid-base problems require a step-by-step approach.
- Be flexible. Although all acid-base problems are similar in many ways, important differences do occur. Treat each problem as a separate entity. Do not try to force a given problem into matching any you have solved before. Look for both the similarities and the differences.
- Be patient. The complete solution to a complicated problem cannot be seen immediately in all its detail. Pick the problem apart into its workable steps.
- Be confident. Look within the problem for the solution, and let the problem guide you. Assume that you can think it out. Do not rely on memorizing solutions to problems. In fact, memorizing solutions is usually detrimental because you tend to try to force a new problem to be the same as one you have seen before. Understand and think; don’t just memorize.
—Courtesy of my AP Chemistry textbook
I think I now understand why so many people have trouble with advanced Chemistry. As the problems get more and more complicated, we simply give up. We don’t possess the flexibility, patience, or confidence to continue on. We’ve been stuck in this way of learning where we need such concrete structure to solve our problems. We expect the tried and true to always work. Well, in Chemistry, that does not apply. Sure there are those straight-forward problems that are like elementary math. But then there are those that make us go, ”What in the name of all that’s sane do I do here??” We think of problems we’ve seen like this and we try to use the same steps we’ve used there to solve this new problem. But we’re wrong. And because we haven’t realized that the problem doesn’t need to change— we do, we can’t seem to grab a grasp on how exactly to think Chemistry. We need to change our way of thinking. Chemistry is one of the hardest subjects to study for a reason. We can’t just get through this maze by knocking holes into the walls, we need to go round and round until triumphantly, we reach some sort of understanding.
And that’s exactly what I intend on doing.
Chemistry, you will not get the best of me.
I’m definitely making this excerpt my Chemistry bible from now on.
