MAJOR TUTORING

Whether you are studying for a quiz on the chemical symbols for each element or the names of each bone in a human body, I find the best way to remember these things is to associate each item with something you have an interest or are familiar with. For instance, the symbol for tin is Sn. Now many elements use just the first letter of the element as the symbol for it, like O for oxygen or N for nitrogen. This is not the case with tin though. Many years ago I thought of a way to remember Sn was the symbol for tin. If you like golf, there's a famous golfer by the name of Sam Snead. Anyway, Mr. Snead hits golf balls into cups on the green, that is, "tin cups". That's how I remember it to this day. Try doing these associations yourself. The more personal it is to you, the more likely you'll remember the reference. It works! Ken

Chemical engineers and chemists use the term "mole" for quantity measurements in their work. For example, one mole of water ( H 2 O ) weighs 18.0 grams or the sum of the gram formula weight of two hydrogens and one oxygen (2 x 1.00797 + 1 x 15.9994, rounded off to 18.0 grams). There are 6.02 x   10 23 carbon atoms in one mole of water. See the Periodic Table for the gram formula weights for each element. Then one mole of sodium chloride (NaCl) or salt has a weight of 58.5 grams ( 22.9898 grams for sodium + 35.453 grams of chloride, rounded off to 58.5 grams).                                                             Regarding chemical reactions and the equations that illustrate the process, an equation has to be balanced on both sides. For example, when carbon dioxide (CO 2)  is combined with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (reactants), it yields  Na 2 CO 3 and H 2 O (products).                                CO 2 (gas) +2NaOH (solid) yields Na 2 CO 3 (solid) + H 2 O   (l

One of the primary equations associated with straight lines is the slope-intercept equation. To understand how to use this equation, one must understand the equation. The slope-intercept equation or y = mx + b, has coordinates (x,y) as points on the line, m as the slope of the line, and b, as the y coordinate (0,y) on the line that crosses the y-axis when the x = 0 (the y intercept). Slope (m) is defined as the change in y divided by the change in x. If you have an equation, y = 2x+ 3, then m=2, b=3, and two points on the line are (0,3) or (1,5). Notice that there are many solutions to this equation. For any given x value, a y value can be calculated. The slope or m is then calculated by subtracting the y values or 5-3= 2, subtracting the x values or 1- 0=1 and then dividing the y by the x or y/x = 2/1 or 2. Any equation that has these same elements can be converted into an equation to find the slope, y intercept or a point (x,y) on the line. You just need to have at least two of t