Dr. Stephen Lukacs (August 2020)
The essentials of matter, measurement, units, and computations. This series of lectures present the most critical concepts and practices required for your mastery of general chemistry. It is also critical to lay this as a solid foundation for more advanced, but practical, classes like chemical instrumentation. The topics in this series of Podcasts cover scientific number and notation, significant figures, and conventional conversions, aka, dimensional analysis.
(August 2020) This lecture is about the three necessary components of a scientific number: (i) the size or magnitude of the number itself, (ii) the unit of measure to give context and meaning to that number, and (iii) the expression of proper precision through significant figures.
Remember and practice: (i) the size or magnitude of the number itself, (ii) the unit of measure to give context and meaning to that number, and (iii) the expression of proper precision through significant figures.
(August 2020) For the very BIG and the very small. Scientific notation does two things for us. It is great for expressing very big and very small numbers and it also unambiguously expresses the measurement to the proper significant figures.
Scientific notation does two things for us: (i) allows us to express very big and very small numbers in a compact form, and (ii) unambiguously communicate the proper significant figures for us.
(August 2020) No Measurement is Ever Exact. Every measurement is precise, but never exact. Significant figures are the proper expression of that precision and the process of carrying through by the weakest link.
Carefully watch this podcast because it is not just a matter of recognizing significant figures, but carrying them through addition/subtraction and multiplication/division properly. Those use two different rules, so see the differences and practice them properly.
(August 2020) AKA: Dimensional Analysis. The unit-cancellation method becomes invaluable later when we turn to chemical conversions.
The above lecture is the first part of conventional conversions, miles to kilometers, inches to meters, etc. This part covers the essential concepts and the basis of the unit-cancellation method with practical examples.
(August 2020) AKA: Dimensional Analysis. The unit-cancellation method becomes invaluable later when we turn to chemical conversions.
The above lecture is the second part of conventional conversions, miles to kilometers, inches to meters, etc. This part covers SI prefixes and the metric system along with multi-step conversion processes through practical examples.
(August 2020) AKA: Dimensional Analysis. The unit-cancellation method becomes invaluable later when we turn to chemical conversions.
The above lecture is the third part of conventional conversions, miles to kilometers, inches to meters, etc. This part covers more in depth multi-step conversion processes along with cubic volumes to regular volumes and the all important concept of density.
(August 2020) This is a summary revisited more-modern online lecture of the above three "Conversions" lectures. Please ignore any external comments or references to chapters and such throughout this lecture.
(August 2020) Temperature conversions don't use the unit-cancellation method, but actual algebra type equations. This online lecture shows you how to handle temperature conversions with a hopeful review of algebra.
(August 2020) Periodic Table, Conventional Conversions, SI Prefixes, Polyatomic Ions, Chemical Conversions, Chemical Equations, Table of Electronegativities, and the Redox Recipe.
Print it. You can use all of it everywhere and anytime.