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10 Tips and Tricks on How to Solve Chemistry Problems
If you are a chemistry major or you take any chemistry course, this article is for you.
There’s no denying that solving chemistry problems can sometimes feel overwhelming.
However, by having the right mind-set and approach,
You can solve these problems, and there’s a huge chance you can enjoy doing it.
It’s not rocket science, it’s as simple as drinking water.
Without further ado, here are ten tips and tricks to help you solve chemistry problems efficiently and effectively:
1. Stay Calm and Focused
The first thing to do when faced with a chemistry problem is to remain calm.
The thing is, if you panic,
You can cloud your thinking, which will definitely lead to mistakes.
Take a deep breath, and read the problem carefully.
The next step is to understand what you’re asked to do.
Rushing to get the right answers can lead to errors.
So give yourself some time and approach each problem as logically as possible.
2. Understand the Requirements
Before diving head first into calculations, you need to identify what the problem is.
Are you solving for a concentration, a mass, a volume, or something else?
When you understand the requirements, you can choose the correct formula or approach.
Now, ask yourself “How can I get the right solution to use for the equation?”
This question will help decide if the formula you want to use is right or not.
3. Visualize the Scenario
When you get an idea of what you’re solving for, the problem becomes easier to solve.
This way, you can picture it and you’ll get a clear path on how to get the right solution.
For example, if you add 10 ml of water to a sweet solution,
it becomes diluted and the concentration decreases.
When you understand concepts like dilution or reaction dynamics, you won’t get unworkable answers…
Such as how you can predict if concentration will increase when you add a solvent.
4. Use Conversion Factors
If you’re a chemistry student, you need to know the “factor label method”
It is sometimes called dimensional analysis
If you don’t know about it, we’ll explain it to you.
When using conversion factors, you will be sure that all units cancel each other appropriately.
This way, you will get the correct answer.
This method comes in handy when converting units like moles to grams or liters to milliliters.
Mastering this technique will allow you carry out several calculations with ease.
5. Master Your Calculator
We can’t emphasize the importance of mastering this enough.
This has proven to be the Achilles heel of many students
The reason is that several errors students make is caused by simple calculator mistakes.
For example, if you need to solve;
(2 × 3 × 10) ÷ (8 × 3)
(2 \times 3 \times 10) \divided by (8 \times 3) (2 × 3 × 10) ÷ (8 × 3),
It is important you type everything as correctly as possible into the calculator.
This also includes using the brackets properly.
(2 × 3 × 10) ÷ (8 × 3) (2 \times 3 \times 10) \divided by (8 \times 3) (2 × 3 × 10) ÷ (8 × 3)
You’ll get the correct answer which is 2.5.
If you get 22.5, then your answer is incorrect, which means you typed it wrong.
Always double-check what you type into the calculator to ensure it’s accurate.
6. Balance Chemical Equations
Balancing chemical equations is a skill every chemistry student needs to have – including you.
For instance, if you have an unbalanced equation,
You’ll definitely get incorrect stoichiometric calculation which will affect your entire solution.
Avoid this by verifying that your chemical equations are balanced before going ahead with calculations
This is very important especially if you’re working with reaction-based problems.
7. Pay Attention to Significant Figures
In chemistry, significant figures are very important.
Why you may ask.
The reason is that they show how precise your measurements and calculations are.
For multiplication and division, the number of significant figures in your result should match the value with the lowest significant figures you entered.
For addition and subtraction, it’s a little different.
The result you get should have the same number of decimal places as the input with the fewest decimal places.
Proper handling of significant figures ensures the precision and accuracy of your results.
8. Practice Problem-Solving Strategies
Remember the saying “Practise makes perfect?”
Here’s a good opportunity for perfection.
By practising consistently, you reinforce all the problem-solving strategies learned so far.
Most importantly, you will build your confidence.
Get your hands on several type of chemistry problems, so you’ll be familiar with all kinds of questions and how to solve them.
By doing this, you will also know how to identify mistakes and avoid them.
9. Learn from Your Mistakes
Here’s an advice that will come in handy.
Learn from your past mistakes.
By doing this, you’ve gotten yourself a valuable tool for learning.
Whenever you get a wrong answer, take some time and understand why.
There could be several reasons.
It could be a misunderstanding of concepts, a calculation error, or probably an oversight?
You need to identify and correct these mistakes to prevent a reoccurrence.
Most importantly, you need to understand the learning material better.
10. Use Resources Wisely
Make use of all resources available you.
Resources like such as textbooks, study groups, online tutorials, and online tutoring.
By using these resources, you can get extra explanations and examples that will clarify any difficult topic you encounter.
Also, you can work together with your friends to get new solutions and perspectives in solving difficult problems.
Summary
Just as we stated earlier, you can solve any chemistry problem you encounter in a calm and systematic approach.
All of the techniques we listed above are tried, tested and trusted.
By implementing them, we’re very sure you’ll get results that will surprise you.
Techniques like using conversion factors may be a little strange to some, however, there’s no fear seeking help in any way shape or form.
This is where we come in.
CopyChemistry isn’t just an online tutoring platform where we help with school-related work.
We take it the extra mile by helping chemistry students prepare for exams, mastering calculator techniques and helping them practise till they get better.
The best part is that we’re with you every step of the way until you get that “A” in chemistry.
