COURSE DESCRIPTION

There are many ways to gather information and to “know”, and there are different pathways to “knowing”, which is why there are so many choices of study offered at a university.  Religion, philosophy, and sociology are three popular college majors that help people respond to certain questions about life, relationships, and society.  They are often used to attempt to answer questions about ethics and moral choices (why people cheat on tests) or mysterious and supernatural phenomenon (i.e. ghost presence in a home).

Science is limited in answering questions about supernatural phenomena, ethics, or politics. Science answers questions about MEASURABLE, TESTABLE, NATURAL PROBLEMS OR EVENTS.  Scientists use the SCIENTIFIC METHOD to answer these measurable, testable questions.  The steps of the scientific method are used in Chemistry to answer questions like, “How does sugar affect diabetes patients?” Does adding table salt to a pot of water help it boil faster?  Does soap work better in warm water than in cold water?  Do chemical lyes really help straighten tightly curled hair?

Chemistry is a physical science that explores matter (anything that has mass and takes up space), the structure and behavior of elements (like gold, silver, hydrogen, oxygen, and helium), the characteristics of compounds (like water), and reactions between substances.  History recognizes ancient Egypt as the birthplace of chemistry.  From ancient Egyptian practices with plant chemicals, chemistry has morphed over the centuries, evolving from chemistry’s 17^th century predecessor – alchemy – to present day chemistry.  In this course, you will learn how to use the scientific method to make predictions about how matter will interact, how to use instruments to measure these interactions, and watch the chemical reactions that are used to form products and technology that we use in our society.