I don't understand Chemistry

[Fragony]

Not laughing at you. Just sad that school missed teaching you science.

Chemistry is about how atoms and molecules interact; psychology for molecules. It is a crossroads between biology and geology and it uses physics to describe the models of the atom and molecules.

Chemistry defines elements by the number of protons they have:
1 proton = hydrogen
2 protons = helium
3 protons = lithium
4 protons = beryllium
5 protons = boron
6 protons = carbon
7 protons = nitrogen
8 protons = oxygen

That's the first eight and most important to us as a large chunk of biology uses carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen.
Oil is essentially different combinations of Carbon and Hydrogen. Whilst alcohol is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

All you mention are molecules, atoms have only tree building stones.

[Husar]

All you mention are molecules, atoms have only tree building stones.

Yes, but depending on how many of those they have you get different atoms.

IIRC their numbers are usually equal, so oxygen would have 8 protons, 8 neutrons and 8 electrons, though I'm not sure about the neutrons, IIRC sometimes they are not equal to the protons. If there are less electrons than neutrons you have an ion, it has an overall positive load. Ionisation is basically when an electron is kicked out of an atom by something from outside. I forgot what it's called when there are more electrons, could be isotope but IIRC isotope was some other deviation where it's the same element but has more neutrons or protons or something.

I know it's important and interesting but somehow I'm not that fond of chemistry...

[Papewaio]

The number of protons determine the element. Protons are electrically positive.

If there are more or less electrons then protons it is an ion. Typically it is less when the atom is heated and it 'sweats off' an electron. Electrons are electrically negative.

Neutrons are electricall neutral. An element can have multiple isotopes for instance Carbon 12 and Carbon 14.
The element Carbon has 6 protons. Carbon-12 is 6 protons and 6 neutrons. Carbon-14 is 6 protons and 8 neutrons.

[Husar]

The number of protons determine the element. Protons are electrically positive.

If there are more or less electrons then protons it is an ion. Typically it is less when the atom is heated and it 'sweats off' an electron. Electrons are electrically negative.

Neutrons are electricall neutral. An element can have multiple isotopes for instance Carbon 12 and Carbon 14.
The element Carbon has 6 protons. Carbon-12 is 6 protons and 6 neutrons. Carbon-14 is 6 protons and 8 neutrons.

Thanks, I knew about the electrical stuff but wasn't sure about the isotopes, makes sense though.
What I was thinking about regarding the ions were probably anions and cations. I just remembered there were different names depending on whether they're positive or negative.

[Ironside]

All you mention are molecules, atoms have only tree building stones.

I'll run the basics for you. You know some of it, but have other things mixed up.

That's 3 types of building stones for normal matter. Protons, neutrons and electrons.

Protons are positivly charged and determines the element, like Pape pointed out.

Neutrons are neutrally charged and keeps the protons together in the atom core. Their number also decides the isotope, which have slighty different properties. The biggest influence has to do with stability, which causes that some isotopes are radioactive. For example C14 (Carbon-14) is radioactive, while C12 and C13 are stable.

Electrons are negativly charged and are balancing protons, so they are the same number in atomic form. Electrons moves very easily though, creating ions, atoms and molecules that are having a charge.

Molecules are when 2 or more (up to many, many more) of atoms are bound together to make a specific unit. Those molecules does in turn interact with eachother, forming everything we see, since all molecules by themselves are very, very small.

[Fragony]

I'll run the basics for you. You know some of it, but have other things mixed up.

That's 3 types of building stones for normal matter. Protons, neutrons and electrons.

Protons are positivly charged and determines the element, like Pape pointed out.

Neutrons are neutrally charged and keeps the protons together in the atom core. Their number also decides the isotope, which have slighty different properties. The biggest influence has to do with stability, which causes that some isotopes are radioactive. For example C14 (Carbon-14) is radioactive, while C12 and C13 are stable.

Electrons are negativly charged and are balancing protons, so they are the same number in atomic form. Electrons moves very easily though, creating ions, atoms and molecules that are having a charge.

Molecules are when 2 or more (up to many, many more) of atoms are bound together to make a specific unit. Those molecules does in turn interact with eachother, forming everything we see, since all molecules by themselves are very, very small.

That much I know, i made a mistake when I said protons have no mass, a pretty stupid one as neutrons would have no other way to keep a hold of them. Cancelled out I guess

[Papewaio]

Not stupid at all. Most science is really poorly taught at school. Meaning most kids don't have a chance of understanding it.

Doesn't help that we pay science teachers so poorly that they have plenty of other higher paying options.

I was lucky and had some of the better ones as teachers. One of the next generation student teachers we had to teach the periodic table to them in chemistry class. The new set had plenty of biology science teachers but not enough chemistry teachers.

Can't expect students to learn what their teachers don't know.

[HoreTore]

Can't expect students to learn what their teachers don't know.

What?

The world has progressed from the time when transferring knowledge was what the school should be doing. Learning is an active process, not a passive one. That means that what knowledge your teacher has on the subject is not important at all.

[The Stranger]

what?

nothing has changed at all, the majority of the people still follow authority and believe whatever that authoritive figure recites from his big book.

whether it is a priest and his bible, or a scientist and his thesis, or the hipster with his edgy columns...

99% of the people who now claim that einstein and darwin have the truth of it would have burned witches at a the stake 500 years ago.

[HoreTore]

what?

nothing has changed at all, the majority of the people still follow authority and believe whatever that authoritive figure recites from his big book.

whether it is a priest and his bible, or a scientist and his thesis, or the hipster with his edgy columns...

99% of the people who now claim that einstein and darwin have the truth of it would have burned witches at a the stake 500 years ago.

How is this even remotely relevant?

[Papewaio]

Oh, I took as a student an active role in learning. I was reading encyclopedias at seven. Was a great primary student, and a very good high school student. I programmed my first computer to play craps (old mono coloured, pre 286 era) I did a degree in science not for money or marks or to become a scientist. I did it because it was interesting.

But I'm a geek in personality. I have two fantastic role models for parents. I had access to above average resources. Lived on a farm. All meaning I had a very good start. Something not everyone gets.

Now school to me is for my children to learn social skills. For a lot of kids though it is where they find their only learning role models and the people who can teach them to learn. Teachers need to bridge the gaps and it isn't all self discovery. Yes as an adult there is the Internet, but even as my seven yr old is learning most of google is blocked at school making it hard to create reports, puzzles and crosswords for his assignments.

Some kids need more attention then the baseline. They have learning problems and need someone to advocate for them, to recognise the issues and to do their best to resolve it. Not every parent nor every teacher has that ability. In general school is for the happy average. The bright kids either self teach or get bored and drop performance, the kids with disabilities get categorized, pigeon holed and of lucky attended to.

Even then a lot of teachers read straight out of text books. Poorly comprehend the source materials and poorly communicate the contents at an appropriate level for the students. A kid can do as well reading a source book for themselves and better if they cross reference and analyze.

So I don't expect much from my kids teachers. First provide a safe place, second inspire them to learn for themselves.

"Learning is life, life is learning". One school motto that I actually agree with.

[Nigel]

Whow, interesting speech, Papewaio. Much truth in it, too.

I was lucky to have some inspiring teachers. And yes, I belive the most important thing for a teacher is to awaken an interest for the subject and an enthusiasm to learn - especially for Chemistry, which is a pretty abstract subject, considering that most of the things you deal with are way too small to allow you ever to see them.

[HoreTore]

Oh, I took as a student an active role in learning.

Ah, I realize I should take more care when flinging terms around... "Learning as an active/passive process" is not a choice or action done by the student, but rather an observation of how learning takes place. As such it is not something you can choose to do, but instead something professors will fight over.

If you see learning as an active process, you're a constructivist. If you see it as a passive process, you're a behaviourist.

Simply put, the behaviourist teacher will will show examples and ask the students to copy and use them. The constructivist teacher will give a problem for the kids to solve without showing them how to do it. For most of our history, we've been doing the former. Now, however, we're in the process of changing over to a constructivist approach(with some major and notable exceptions). This started with Dewey, and since he's only been around for a century we haven't managed to flush out all the elderly yet.