The tutor introduces a topic that academic chemists love. Enthalpy appears in high school chemistry. The definition of enthalpy, H, is H=Eint+PV where Eint is the internal energy content of the product, while PV is work done by volume increasing …
The tutor points out a surprise that dogged him, for a couple of minutes, with the Casio fx-260solar. For physics or chemistry calculations, scientific notation is handy. Let’s imagine you want to know what 0.8c is, in metres per second. …
Calculator hints: changing modes on the Casio fx-260solar Read more »
A tutor, just like anyone else, is likely conscious of society’s love of fitness (and thinness). Pretty much on my 40th birthday, I could, all of a sudden, gain weight just by eating. I’d always been a bone rack; in …
Tutoring college chemistry, you sometimes get asked about parts per million. The tutor explains a concept more often heard in everyday life than in the academic world. Parts per million, or ppm, is often used to express the concentration of …
Tutoring high school chemistry, you’re asked this every year. The tutor shows a simple example of how to find the empirical formula. Back on September 12, I wrote a post on percent composition. Finding the empirical formula can be the …
Tutoring Biology 12, you cover this concept. The tutor approaches it from a simple, practical point of view. You normally hear about monomers and polymers in organic chemistry. Think of the name polyester: it’s a polymer of esters. The esters, …
Tutoring high school chemistry, the mole is a central theme. The tutor shows, explicitly, how to find the molar mass of a compound. Back on Sept 15 I opened the discussion about what a mole is. Whether or not students …
Tutoring chemistry, you’re likely asked about this every year. The tutor shows an example. Solubility, in chemistry, is the ability of a solute (the chemical being dissolved) to achieve dissolution in a solvent (the liquid that the solute dissolves into, …
The tutor continues to explore auto batteries (aka car batteries). While this topic is rare during tutoring, it’s probably relevant to virtually everyone at some point…. I recall, decades ago, a friend of mine bought a new battery for …
Auto batteries, part two: cold cranking amps and internal resistance Read more »
Tutoring high school chemistry includes electrochemistry. The tutor shares some reflections about auto batteries as winter approaches. I recall more than one mechanic talking about how a device might work fine for a long time but have a hidden …