Honors Chemistry and STEM Chemistry Summer Assignment 2014-2015 Welcome to Honors and STEM Chemistry. Honors and STEM Chemistry is for the student who desires a more in-depth study of science that will incorporate various aspects of science and math with an emphasis on both mastery and critical thinking/application skills. This is a fast-paced course that requires much outside classroom preparation. A summer assignment is essential to a good foundation as we incorporate more reading across the curriculum and giving all students an opportunity to learn more about what chemistry prior to starting the course! This class requires a strong work ethic and the ability to work independently. Let’s start strong by getting a head-start! Make sure that you complete all parts of the summer assignment! No two students’ assignments should be identical and your work should not be copied directly from any of the sources you are using. The assignment will be due on the first day of the 2014-2015 school year. Do not wait until the end of the summer to start working! There are 3 sections to complete for Honors Chemistry students and 4 sections for STEM Chemistry students. 1. Memorize the 50 required elements – expect a quiz the first day of school over these elements - symbol, correct spelling of the element (all lower case – not proper nouns) 2. Handwritten responses (collate in a journal/notebook or 3 ring binder) to all the questions in the assigned summer reading of “The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean 3. Go to Dr. Berkemeier’s blog Course Resources Summer 2014 folder I. Learn how to navigate the blog by answering the following questions a) What information is found on the blog? b) What did you find in course resources? c) Where can you find the course syllabus? d) What are the expectations of a formal lab? II. Watch flipping the classroom so that you understand why we are using this method (*if you have a MAC, you will have to go the local library to watch his screencast) Flipping the classroom: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cljXoZ7q5 III. Khan Academy video: (*take notes so that you have a good review) a) Introduction to the Atom http://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/introduction-to-the- atom/v/introduction-to-the-atom b) Introduction to Atoms and Elements: http://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/introduction-to-the- atom/v/elements-and-atoms 4. STEM Chemistry students should start thinking about a hypothesis (*not necessarily specific to chemistry but involves science, technology and engineering) and possible research topics. We will discuss more during the 1st week of school. Check out the UGA website for science and 1 | B e r k e m e i e r engineering fair to give you some ideas. You will have to come up with a feasible hypothesis/project that you can investigate. You will also have to provide your own space to test your hypothesis, time is something to think about since the project is done out of class time and you must have an adult to supervise you. Check out the UGA science and engineering site for ideas. http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/youth/academic-special-programs/georgia- science-and-engineering-fair I look forward to having you in class!! Dr. G Berkemeier 2 | B e r k e m e i e r 1. Section 1: Memorize the 50 required elements – expect a quiz the first day of school over these elements - symbol, correct spelling of the element (all lower case – not proper nouns) 3 | B e r k e m e i e r Section 2: Handwritten responses (collate in a journal/notebook or 3 ring binder) to all the questions in the assigned summer reading of “The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean The Disappearing Spoon – by Sam Kean 1. Respond to the following questions in YOUR OWN HANDWRITING. 2. NO typed responses will be accepted for credit. 3. You may have a journal, a notebook or 3-ring binder to collate your handwritten responses in the order in which these questions are presented. 4. Please write legibly in BLACK or BLUE ink only (no pencil or other colored pens allowed). 5. Please write only on the front of the notebook paper and number your pages at the bottom right corner. 6. Please divide your responses according to the chapters and questions presented. 7. Respond in complete sentences and it would be to your benefit to include the page number from the book as a means of review as well as noting your argument/support to the question. 8. DUE Date – the first day of school at the start of your class period. Your responses to all the questions below are due the 1st day of school. We have a NO LATE work policy in this course. Prior to reading the book: 1. What adjectives would you currently use to describe the periodic table? (give at least 3 adjectives) Explain your answer in sentences. Ch. 1: Geography is Destiny 1. Pre-reading: How are helium and oxygen similar? How are they different? The author compares the periodic table to a map. Do you find this metaphor effective? 2. Helium is a member of the group called the ______ ______. 3. Which subatomic particle determines the reactivity of an element: proton, neutron, or electron? 4. If you go up or down by 1 on the pH scale, you've changed by a factor of ___. This is similar to the _____ scale, which measures the strength of an earthquake. So an acid with a pH of 3 is ____ times stronger than an acid with a pH of 6. 5. How did Gilbert Lewis change the definition of an acid? 6. Who was Maria Goeppert-Meyer? How did her work help explain why the elements helium, oxygen and calcium are all very common? Chapter 2: Near Twins and Black Sheep: The Genealogy of Elements 1. Pre-reading: Where can we find the elements carbon and silicon in everyday life? 2. What properties of carbon make it such an appropriate element as the foundation for Silicon is used in ___________, beating out the element ___________. 3. Give two reasons why building life forms from silicon is much more challenging than using carbon 4. Summarize the story of William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain in a paragraph. Which of the 3 was least deserving of the Nobel Prize? 4 | B e r k e m e i e r 5. * Your own research (include where you found this information – cite your reference source – Wikipedia is not allowed) another situation in history when someone stole someone else's scientific 6. Jack Kilby invented the _______ _______, in order to get rid of a problem called the ________ of ________. What was this problem all about? Chapter 3: The Galapagos of the Periodic Table 1. Pre-reading: For some of the elements, it's easy to see where their symbol and name comes from. (ex. Einsteinium = Es). Others have an interesting origin. Find out why lead has the symbol Pb. How is this related to the word plumber? 2. Summarize the story of Robert Bunsen. What did he invent (not the Bunsen burner)? 3. In Chemistry, it's often taught that Dmitri Mendeleev invented the periodic table and that’s all that is said, when in reality ___ people independently developed one. This happens often throughout history, as it is rare that only one person in the world has an idea all by themselves. Discuss another invention or discovery that is typically credited to one individual, when in reality the actual story is more complicated. Why does Mendeleev get the credit for the periodic table? 4. How does thinking about the elements of the table relate to pieces of a puzzle, especially with his accomplishments? 5. We rarely hear about the mistakes of geniuses, just their accolades. What were some mistakes that Mendeleev made? 6. A man named Antoine LaVoisier is often called the father of modern Chemistry, helping push to make Chemistry a more exact science. He also proved The Law of Conservation of Mass, showing that matter is neither gained nor lost during a chemical reaction. What was at least one thing that LaVoisier was incorrect about? How did LaVoisier die? 7. Why is a little town named Ytterby, Sweden probably the most significant place related Chapter 4: Where Atoms Come From: “We Are All Star Stuff” 1. Pre-reading: What do you already know about stars and their life cycle? Which elements are involved during the process of fusion in the sun? Why don't stars fuse elements beyond iron on the periodic table? 2. Why is Jupiter such an interesting planet? Give several reasons, including some that some that relate to elements 3. Summarize how Clair Patterson was able to conclude that the earth is about 4.55 billion years old. Most scientists agree that the universe is about 14 billion years old....how in general can scientists agree on something that none of us were around for? Chapter 5: Elements in Time of War 1. Pre-reading: How could elements be used in war? 2. What do you think the word harbinger means in the 2nd paragraph? 3. Nitrogen is an element that be used for good and bad.