Summary

The overall goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of some of the principles, laws, and theories of chemistry such that they may continue on to higher levels of chemistry and other scientific fields in which chemical principles are exploited. Each student should gain competence in solving chemical problems of varying difficulty utilizing problem solving strategies such as dimensional analysis, application of standard formulae, and synthesis of new formulae and algorithms from prior knowledge obtained in this and other courses.

This course is designed to provide the framework on which hangs a significant portion of the body of basic chemistry knowledge, allowing the perceptive to glance into the richness of the microscopic world from a macroscopic point of view, and to provide the foundation for further studies in the sciences. The successful participant will develop new and expand upon existing skills in critical thinking, mathematics, and the scientific method.  Since chemistry is by its very nature an experimental science, honesty and integrity in the acquisition and analysis of data is at the very core of the scientific process. It is part of our role as practicing scientists to defend the nature of the scientific process and to expose pseudoscience and scientific dishonesty.