Chemistry 161 General Chemistry

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1 Chemistry 161 General Chemistry Chemistry is a two-semester introductory chemistry course. There are five lecture sections in this course. Four of these lecture sections are given on Monday, Wednesday Thursday, for 55 minutes; a fifth section is given on Monday and Wednesday evenings for 80 minutes. Each lecture section has associated with it a 55-minute recitation. The lecture times are listed below. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 1:55-2:10 Beck Auditorium Sections 1-9 Lecturers: Professors Darrin York and Francesca Guerra Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30-10:25 Hickman 101 Sections 12-17, 40, 41 Lecturer: Professor Donald Siegel Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:10-12:05 Hickman 138 Sections Professor Geeta Govindarajoo Monday, Wednesday 6:40-8:00 Beck Auditorium Sections Lecturer: Professor Paul Kimmel Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 12:15-1:10 Beck Auditorium Sections Lecturers: Professors Darrin York and Francesca Guerra To get information on each individual section, use the following web address, and then click the link for Chemistry 161 (fourth from the top). 3DNB%26level%3DU Textbook and Calculator The textbook for this course is Rutgers Custom Edition of Chemistry: Atoms First, First Edition by Burge and Overby. Lecture material and homework problems originate in this book. The textbook package available in the bookstore includes the code necessary to access the Connect online homework assignments. You must have a non-programmable scientific calculator for use on exams and quizzes. A scientific calculator has the capability of handling logarithms and scientific notation.

2 Sakai Website All communication with students will be done on the Sakai website: You should login to this website using your Rutgers netid and password. If you are registered for the class, you should see a Chem 161 Fall 2012 tab on the top of the page. Clicking on that tab will enable you to get to the course homepage, which will have all relevant information. There will be several tabs on the left side of the course homepage. The Resources tab will contain files for the course syllabus and general course information (the file you re reading now). The syllabus will list the approximate textbook sections and relevant problems for each lecture. Course announcements will be seen on the homepage or using the announcements tab. You should check the Sakai site regularly for course announcements. Online Homework Part of your grade will be based on the Connect Online Homework, which will start approximately two weeks after the beginning of the course. Instructions for accessing the Connect assignment will be posted on Sakai. Each online assignment will have a due date and time, which will be announced on the Sakai. There will be ample time to finish the assignment by the due date/time, and no extensions will be given. It is your responsibility to complete the assignments on time. Grading There will the three hourly exams, a final exam, online homework, and recitation quizzes. Your grade will be based on the total point score, with the points allotted as follows: Percentage of total grade Three hourly exams 45 (3 x 15) Final exam 30 Connect Online homework 12.5 Recitation quizzes 12.5 Total: 100% There will be 10 recitation quizzes given in the last 10 minutes of each recitation except the first week and the weeks of the hourly exams. These quizzes will be based on material covered in the lectures in the week prior to the quiz. The lowest two of these 10 quizzes will be dropped. Keep in mind that a missed quiz will count as a zero, and cannot be made up. Thus, if a student misses two recitation quizzes, they will be the ones that are dropped, and any further missed quizzes will receive a zero, which is then factored into the quiz grade.

3 Your final grade will be based on your overall percentage, with the final scale to be decided at the end of the course. An approximate idea of the grading scale would be: A >90% B 80-89% C 65-79% D 50-64% F <50% A grade of <35% on the final exam will result in an automatic F for a final grade. Final Exam Makeup Rule There will be a special grading policy on the final exam. This exam will be broken into four designated sections: material from exam I, material from exam II, material from exam III, and material from the end of the semester not covered on the hourly exams. If a student scores higher on one or more of the final exam section than on the corresponding hourly exam, then a substitution procedure becomes effective. In this substitution procedure, one (and only one) of the hourly exam scores is substituted for the higher final exam section score, and that substitution will be automatically chosen to be the one that benefits most the student s final grade (i.e., the final exam score that has the greatest improvement relative to the hourly exam score). If a student misses an hourly exam and has a valid acceptable reason, that student will be assigned a temporary zero for that exam, and the final exam questions associated with that hourly exam will be substituted for the missed exam. This will take the place of any makeup exams, which are not given. Example: A student gets 76, 62, 80 on the first three hourly exams, and gets percentages of 80, 78, 82 on the first three sections of the final exam. The biggest increase is the 2 nd exam so that student would get a 78 substituted for 62 on the 2 nd exam. If a student misses an hourly exam without a valid acceptable reason, the zero on that exam will remain. Valid reasons for absences include: illness or injury, severe weather, Rutgers sponsored activity. In the case of Rutgers sponsored activities, students may apply to take a conflict exam at a different time. Information on applying for the conflict exam will be available on Sakai. Invalid reasons for absences include: family or other personal events, non-rutgers activities.

4 Absences If you are absent for one of the 3 hourly exams, you should fill out a self-reported absence form, available at sims.rutgers.edu/ssra. Assuming the reason is acceptable, you will get a temporary zero on the exam, to be substituted later on the appropriate section of the final exam, as described above. If you are absent for any recitation quiz, you don t have to do anything, since 2 of the recitation quizzes are dropped. However, if you want to take that particular quiz, you can consult your recitation instructor, who, at his or her discretion, may allow you to take a makeup quiz. Success in General Chemistry There are no magic formulas or advice that guarantee good grades. Chemistry is a physical science, meaning that there are many quantitative problems and concepts. Therefore, competency in algebra is expected in order to be successful. However, it s not simply the mechanics of solving algebraic equations that is required. It s the setup understanding the chemical principles and concepts that often troubles students. Chemical questions involve applying these principles in the correct mathematical context similar to word problems in algebra classes. Chemistry is a cumulative discipline. This means that the principles learned in the beginning of the class are used in future areas the subject builds on an increasingly broad foundation. If you don t understand the foundation, the course will become increasingly difficult to manage. Common student remark: I ve spent hours reading each chapter of the book, and still get a low grade. Response: Good studying does not mean just reading and memorizing. Good study habits means reading and applying. You must strive to understand the underlying principles and concepts. Then the application of the mathematical equations will come naturally. You can t learn to do problems by just reading the book. You have to actually do the problems yourself. Common student remark: I ve done the homework problems and still get a low grade. Response: Have you really done the problems, or watched someone else do them? Just reading a solutions manual, or having someone explain a problem, is not the same as actually solving problems. There are no shortcuts you learn to solve problems by actually doing them. You should take a critical approach to problem solving. It s not just memorizing step-by-step recipes for solving a particular problem, but understanding the principles on which that problem is based, so that when any similar problem occurs on a test, you can apply these concepts successfully.

5 If You Need Extra Help Office hours for all lecturers and recitation instructors will be posted on the Resources tab of Sakai by the end of the first week of class. You can feel free to go to the office hour of any lecturer or recitation instructor, not necessarily the ones in your section. All lecturers and recitation instructors are committed to help you achieve success in the class. You will find the use of office hours more helpful if you come in with specific questions, not just a vague statement of not understanding. You should do your part in trying your best to do the assigned problems, and if you have trouble, looking in the textbook for examples, which are often similar to the assignments. Try to focus on the types of problems or concepts which are unclear, and come into office hours with specific questions about these problem areas. Help is also available at the Rutgers Learning Center (rlc.rutgers.edu) and Math Science Learning Centers (mslc.rutgers.edu). Check the appropriate websites for hours, location, and phone numbers. Contact Information Course Coordinator and Lecturer Darrin York york@biomaps.rutgers.edu Course Administrator and Lecturer Paul Kimmel pkimmel@rutgers.edu Lecturers Geeta Govindarajoo ggovinda@rutgers.edu Donald Siegel donald.siegel@rutgers.edu Francesca Guerra fguerra@biomaps.rutgers.edu

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