As you learn to view the world through a chemistry lens, it will become important for you to learn to use the language of chemistry. There are some challenges associated with chemistry vocabulary because many of the words that are used in a technical sense in chemistry might also be used in everyday language. However, the meanings of the words in the two contexts can be very different. In the discussion questions for this course, we will practice using these terms and becoming comfortable with going back and forth between their everyday and technical meanings. This week, consider the following terms:
Element
Compound
Molecule
Density
Precision
Accuracy
Respond to the following in a minimum of 200 words in APA format:
Choose at least 2 terms from the list, and answer the following questions for each term:
What familiarity and prior knowledge do you have about the term?
What does the term mean in everyday language to everyday people? Use examples to help describe your thoughts. How do people use the word?
What does the term mean in technical language to chemists?
How is the term related to the course student learning outcome: Explain matter at the microscopic level?
What are the similarities and differences between the everyday and technical meanings and uses of the term?
What impact might the similarities and differences have on your learning of chemistry concepts in this course?