Dealing With Chemistry Homework: Effective Time-Saving Techniques

Every student wants to get that elusive "A" in chemistry. Assignment marks factor greatly into the final percentage that you are going to receive in the course. Basically, if you never turn in the homework that has been assigned to you, you will have great difficulty in achieving top marks. This is where how learning to do your chemistry homework quickly and effectively will make all the difference. Here are some techniques that will help you to save you some time and stop you from stressing about chemistry work:

Learn how to read and understand what is in your textbook

The most common mistake made by students is reading a textbook as if it were a best-selling novel. Reading it chapter by chapter and then attempting to solve the problems located at the end is not going to work. As you read each paragraph, ask yourself if you understand the main concepts behind it. If not, read it again. Asking questions of yourself helps you to retain what you have read and also to concentrate on it. As you go along, underline important points in each paragraph/chapter. Practice all of the exercises. If there are areas that you don't understand, keep a running list so that you can ask your teacher or classmates.

When lecture time comes around

Before the lecture starts make sure to read the assignment. Keep your note-taking to the important points. After the lecture has finished read over the notes you took and make any necessary changes. If there were parts that you missed, get the info from a classmate so you will have everything you need to complete your work.

Solving problems

Understanding formulas and relationships is vital to learning chemistry. Improve problem-solving ability by thinking about the lecture, formulas used in the problems, and examples that have been completed for you in the study guide and text. When you learn a new formula ask yourself the following questions:

• What change or system is described by the formula? What are the units of the variable and what do they mean?
• When does it apply?
• What are some of the application's examples?

The critical first step to working on a problem is to write down the information that you know and then identify what you don't. Draw yourself a diagram so you can visualize the problem. Make sure that the relationship you apply is for the right type of problem. For example, gas formulas will not work when the units are liquid. Do the calculations with a calculator to save time. Once the problem has been solved, check your answer to make sure that:

• The answer is reasonable
• Significant figures are present in the correct number
• The answer is what the problem asked you to find

.