General Information: This is your
introduction to Chemistry, Man and Society with Dr. Bell-Loncella.
There are a variety of assignments associated with each chapter. From
the "pure chemistry" perspective, Chapter 1 contains an introduction to the
language of chemistry: the alphabet (the elements & their
symbols), the vocabulary (formulas for molecules & compounds) and
sentences (balanced equations). We'll discuss this in the context
of Air Quality. You can find a lot of information about air
quality on the web. This page was prepared to serve as a launch point as
you prepare for the group discussion questions. You will find helpful
material on the Chemistry in ContextSite. Other useful sites are included as direct links below.
Note that there are due dates for the assignments; most of them are group
activities for this chapter. Good luck!
Consider This 1.1 How much air do you
exhale in one day? We did this on the first week of classes (January
7). One breath may not seem like that much; but what about
the total volume of air that you exhale in a day. Given a 1-gallon
plastic bag, a ruler and a piece of string, devise an experiment that will
allow you to estimate the total volume of air that you exhale in 24 hours.
Consider This 1.2 - Your First Journal
Entry -- (Week of January 3, 2011) This little exercise will get you started using the resources of the
Chemistry in Context
web page give you a chance to think about the course objectives ...
and get you into the habit of keeping a
journal. There are two parts.
Study the Class Schedule and the Table of Contents of your text
(pages v - xx). Read Chapter 0 (starting on p 3) and the
Chapter Overviews for Chapters 1 through 6 and Chapter 8.
Make a list (in jour journal) of the topics described in each Chapter
overview that you recall as being HOT TOPICS in the news during the past two years. Study your list. Do you have an opinion about any of these? Do you know much about any of these topics?
Pick two topics on your list that are particularly interesting (or
intriguing). What would you like to learn about these two topics?
Make a short list (in your journal); it doesn't have to be particularly
scientific or chemical.
Now that you have thought a little about what you might learn this
semester in Chemistry, Man and Society, write two or three
well-organized paragraphs describing your PERSONAL GOALS for this
course:
What do you hope to
learn?
What do you want to
know about at least one of the issues we'll study?
How do you think that
this issue (or any of the other issues) relate(s) to your life?
Hopefully, you'll look back at this journal
entry over the course of the semester and see if you are beginning to find
answers to your questions.
Journal Entry Consider This 1.28/29/30 (CT 1.28/29/30) - Ozone as a
Pollutant -- Section 1.12 looks at ozone as a secondary
pollutant the CT exercises
(1.28 - 1.30) look at ozone levels and the causes. As you journal
entry for the week of January 10 complete these exercises.
Smog City - A Short Exercise - According
to the web site, Smog City is a fictional metropolis with a serious air
pollution problem. You can explore the roles of weather and increased
pollution, create a city-wide smog crisis and the ozone-forming emissions
sources when you play around in smog city. This
link will provide a worksheet to guide your explorations. Print the worksheet, answer the
questions and turn it in on Friday, January 14, 2011.
If you want to learn more about air pollution check these resources:
The best resource is to use the EPA AIRS which allows you to
generate a map
for the specific area you selected; this will give you data over a
period of time. The map will allow you to choose an area and then
generate a report that will give you the kind of data you need to complete
the assignment. So, for example if you pick Detroit, Michigan, go to
http://www.epa.gov/air/data/geosel.html and click on the
state of Michigan. In the bottom of the box to the right of the map,
click on the button that says "Go!". This will take you to a
page that will allow you to generate an assortment of reports. Play
around on this page till you get the kind of information you want.