Introduction to Chemistry

Preparation for General Chemistry · Dr. Karmach

Dr. Karmach

By the end of this unit, you can…

  • Classify a scientific statement as a hypothesis, a law, or a theory
  • Classify matter as an element, a compound, or a mixture
  • Classify a property or a change as physical or chemical
  • Distinguish precision from accuracy in measured data
  • Name a sample's state from its shape and volume, and describe particle spacing and motion in each state
Dr. Karmach

Today's route 🗺️

  1. Chemistry in Context
  2. Classifying Matter
  3. Physical & Chemical Properties
  4. States of Matter
  5. Energy
  6. Precision & Accuracy
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1 · Chemistry in Context

Define matter, read what a test result does to a hypothesis, and classify a scientific statement as hypothesis, law, or theory.

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Matter changes all day long

Striking a match, charging a phone, digesting lunch: each is matter changing. One science studies matter and its changes, so medicine, farming, and engineering all lean on it.

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The science of matter

Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. Chemistry studies matter and its changes, and every science that handles material draws on it: the central science.

matter: has mass, occupies space
air, rust, salt, seawater: all matter
not matter: light, heat, an idea
no mass, no space filled: energy and information
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Testing for matter: two questions

Matter answers yes twice. Air in a pumped soccer ball has mass: the ball outweighs a flat one. It takes up space: it holds the ball round. A screen's glow has no mass to weigh.

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The scientific method

An observation raises a question. A hypothesis proposes a testable answer. An experiment tests it: state the prediction, state the observation, keep or revise. Every answer invites a sharper test.

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Hypothesis, law, theory

A hypothesis proposes a testable answer, still on trial. A law summarizes what always happens. A theory explains why, and has survived wide testing. Laws describe; theories explain.

hypothesis: the pond turned green because fertilizer ran in
proposed and testable: sample the water upstream and down
law: every gas held at steady pressure expands when heated
the summary: centuries of thermometers and pistons agree
theory: hot particles move faster and hit harder
the tested explanation standing behind the law
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The method

  1. Find the stage: observation, hypothesis, or experiment.
  2. Read the result: keep a hypothesis the test agrees with; revise one it contradicts.
  3. Ask what or why: after wide testing, a law describes what always happens; a theory explains why.

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Guided example: brightly colored frogs

four lines from a field notebook
(1) Birds rarely attack the brightly colored frogs.(2) The bright colors warn birds that the frogs taste bad.(3) Bright and dull clay frog models sit in the forest for a week; beak marks are counted.(4) The dull models collect far more beak marks.

A biologist studies rainforest frogs. Place each line on the map, then decide what line (4) does to line (2).

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Guided example: solution

four lines from a field notebook
(1) birds rarely attack bright frogs · (2) the colors warn birds off · (3) clay models for a week · (4) dull models draw more beak marks

Step 1 · Find the stage

(1) observation · (2) hypothesis · (3) experiment · (4) result
(1) something noticed · (2) a testable answer · (3) a test of its prediction · (4) what the test showed, read at the conclusion
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Guided example: solution

four lines from a field notebook
(1) birds rarely attack bright frogs · (2) the colors warn birds off · (3) clay models for a week · (4) dull models draw more beak marks
Step 1 · Find the stage
(1) observation · (2) hypothesis · (3) experiment · (4) result
(1) something noticed · (2) a testable answer · (3) a test of its prediction · (4) what the test showed, read at the conclusion
Step 2 · Read the result

The prediction: if color warns birds off, the dull models draw more attacks. Line (4) agrees, so the conclusion keeps the hypothesis.

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Guided example: solution

four lines from a field notebook
(1) birds rarely attack bright frogs · (2) the colors warn birds off · (3) clay models for a week · (4) dull models draw more beak marks
Step 1 · Find the stage
(1) observation · (2) hypothesis · (3) experiment · (4) result
(1) something noticed · (2) a testable answer · (3) a test of its prediction · (4) what the test showed, read at the conclusion
Step 2 · Read the result Step 3 · Ask what or why

Line (2) explains why, but one week in one forest is not wide testing. It is still a hypothesis, not a theory.

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Guided example: solution

four lines from a field notebook
(1) birds rarely attack bright frogs · (2) the colors warn birds off · (3) clay models for a week · (4) dull models draw more beak marks
Step 1 · Find the stage
(1) observation · (2) hypothesis · (3) experiment · (4) result
(1) something noticed · (2) a testable answer · (3) a test of its prediction · (4) what the test showed, read at the conclusion
Step 2 · Read the result Step 3 · Ask what or why
Had the bright models drawn as many beak marks, the conclusion would revise (2). An agreeing result keeps a hypothesis; it does not prove it.
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Guided example: the route on the map

frogs: observation, hypothesis, experiment; (4) the result → conclusion: keep (2)
found: the result agrees · one forest, one week: test again

One test in one forest: the path stops at the conclusion. Law and theory wait on wide testing. ✓
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Practice 1

one sunny kitchen
a helium balloon floating at the ceiling · coffee steaming in a mug · a sealed, empty-looking jar on the windowsill

Which of these is not matter?

  1. the helium in the floating balloon
  2. the coffee smell drifting across the room
  3. the air sealed in the jar
  4. the shadow the jar casts on the wall
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Practice 1: answer D

shadow → not matter (answer D)
no mass to weigh · fills no space · only a patch of wall the jar keeps the light from

A took floating for weightless. Helium has mass; it is lighter than the air it pushes aside. B took a smell for a feeling: the smell is coffee molecules drifting through the air, and they have mass and fill space. C took invisible for empty: the jar's air has mass and fills the jar.

Two questions decide every case. The shadow fails the first; the helium, the coffee vapor, and the jar's air pass both.
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Practice 1: the route on the map

the jar's shadow on the wall
has mass? no · found: not matter

The shadow stops at the first question. The helium, the coffee vapor, and the jar's air answer yes twice: each has mass and fills space. ✓
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Practice 2

hypothesis: salt lowers the temperature at which water boils
test: a plain pot and a salted pot heated side by side · result: the salted pot boils at a higher temperature

A cook tests a claim about salted water. What should the conclusion do with the hypothesis?

  1. Keep it and discard the reading
  2. Revise it to fit the result
  3. Call it a law, since it was measured
  4. Call it a theory, since it was tested
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Practice 2: answer B

the result contradicts the prediction → revise the hypothesis (answer B)
predicted: the salted pot boils at a lower temperature · observed: it boils at a higher one

A throws out the data to save the hypothesis; a disagreeing result is what a test exists to catch. C: one measurement cannot make a law, and this one contradicts the claim. D: a theory explains why and has survived wide testing; this claim failed its first test.

The revised hypothesis, salt raises the boiling point, makes a new prediction, and the loop runs again.
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Practice 2: the route on the map

salted water: hypothesis, experiment, conclusion
found: the result disagrees · revise the hypothesis

A contradicted prediction sends the path back to the hypothesis, never ahead to law or theory. ✓
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Practice 3

"Every compound has a fixed makeup because its atoms always join in the same whole-number ratio."
proposed two centuries ago · confirmed by every careful measurement since

Which label fits this statement?

  1. observation
  2. hypothesis
  3. law
  4. theory
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Practice 3: answer D

explains why and survived wide testing → theory (answer D)
"because" gives a reason · two centuries of confirming measurements

A: no one watches atoms join; the statement is inferred from measurements, not seen. B: a hypothesis is still on trial; this one has passed two centuries of tests. C: "every compound" sounds like a law, but a law stops at what happens; this sentence goes on to say why.

Cut the "because" clause and a law remains: every compound has a fixed makeup. The reason behind it is atomic theory.
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Practice 3: the route on the map

fixed makeup: hypothesis, experiment, conclusion, then why
found: test after test agrees · the statement gives a reason · theory

Test after test carries the path to step 3. A reason, not a summary, picks theory. ✓
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Practice 4

three statements about gases
(1) A balloon left in a hot car popped, probably because heat weakened the rubber.(2) For any gas sample at steady temperature, doubling the pressure halves the volume.(3) Gas particles move nonstop and strike the walls; in half the space they strike twice as often.

Label statements (1), (2), and (3), in order.

  1. hypothesis, law, theory
  2. hypothesis, theory, law
  3. observation, law, theory
  4. hypothesis, law, hypothesis
  5. theory, law, theory
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Practice 4: answer A

(1) hypothesis · (2) law · (3) theory (answer A)
(1) a proposed cause for one event · (2) what always happens, no reason · (3) why (2) happens

B swaps law and theory: (2) gives no reason, and (3) explains. C: the pop was observed, but "probably because" adds an untested cause. D takes unseen particles for a guess; the particle picture has passed wide testing. E calls every explanation a theory; (1) explains one balloon and was never tested.

(3) explains (2): half the space, twice the wall hits, twice the pressure. (1) may even be wrong; warm air expanding is a better hypothesis to test.
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Practice 4: the route on the map

(1) hypothesis · (2) law · (3) theory
found: (1) untested · (2) and (3) passed test after test

(1) waits at the hypothesis. (2) and (3) reach step 3: (2) describes what happens, (3) explains why. ✓
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Check yourself

  1. State conservation of mass twice: once as the law, once as the theory that explains it. Could more testing ever turn one into the other?
  2. Which of these are matter: steam, sunlight, sand, a thought? Say why each one is or is not.

The scientific method built chemistry's biggest ideas: experiments forced the model of the atom itself to be redrawn, twice. And the first job the method hands a chemist is sorting matter, because every sample is an element, a compound, or a mixture, and two counts place it.

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2 · Classifying Matter

Classify any sample as an element, a compound, or a homogeneous or heterogeneous mixture by counting kinds of particles and phases.

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Two ways to take matter apart

Boiling seawater leaves salt behind. Splitting water takes a chemical reaction. A sample's class tells what can pull it apart, and whether a fixed formula exists.

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Sorting matter by what it is made of

zinc · distilled water · apple juice · potting soil
zinc: Zn atoms only · distilled water: H₂O only · apple juice: water, sugars, acids · potting soil: sand, clay, bark, water

Matter sorts first by composition. A pure substance has one fixed composition. A mixture holds two or more substances; boiling or filtering separates them.

Sort the four samples: pure substance or mixture?

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Sorting matter by what it is made of

zinc · distilled water · apple juice · potting soil
zinc: Zn atoms only · distilled water: H₂O only · apple juice: water, sugars, acids · potting soil: sand, clay, bark, water

Matter sorts first by composition. A pure substance has one fixed composition. A mixture holds two or more substances; boiling or filtering separates them.

Sort the four samples: pure substance or mixture?

pure substances: zinc · distilled water
mixtures: apple juice · potting soil · each holds more than one substance
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Pure substance or mixture

A pure substance contains one kind of particle, so its composition is fixed. A mixture contains two or more kinds; its composition can vary, and each component keeps its identity.

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Element or compound

Both are pure substances. An element contains one kind of atom; no chemical reaction breaks it down. A compound contains two or more elements bonded in a fixed ratio; a chemical reaction can take it apart.

elements: Cu · O₂ · S₈
one kind of atom each: 118 elements known
compounds: H₂O · NaCl · CO₂
two or more elements, in a ratio that never changes
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Homogeneous or heterogeneous

A phase is a uniform region separated from its neighbors by a physical boundary. One phase throughout: homogeneous. Two or more phases: heterogeneous.

salt water: one phase
homogeneous: any drop matches any other drop
oil on water: two phases
heterogeneous: the top sample is oil, the bottom sample is water
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The complete map

Two counts place any sample: the kinds of particles, then the elements or the phases.

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The method

  1. Count the kinds of particles. One → pure substance; more → mixture.
  2. Count the elements or the phases. Pure: elements. Mixture: phases.
  3. Name the class. One element → element. More → compound. One phase → homogeneous. More → heterogeneous.
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The method on the map

Count 1 picks the side: pure substance or mixture. Count 2 asks a different question on each side: elements for a pure substance, phases for a mixture. The route ends at the class.

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Guided example: chlorine gas

Cl₂ gas from a cylinder
every particle: 2 Cl atoms bonded, the same in every molecule

A water-treatment plant draws chlorine gas from a cylinder that holds nothing else. Classify the gas.

On the map, start at matter. Each count picks one branch.

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Guided example: solution

Cl₂ gas from a cylinder
every particle: 2 Cl atoms bonded, the same in every molecule

Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles

Every particle in the cylinder is the same Cl₂ molecule. One kind of particle: a pure substance.

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Guided example: solution

Cl₂ gas from a cylinder
every particle: 2 Cl atoms bonded, the same in every molecule
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases

A pure substance, so count elements, not atoms.

Cl₂: 2 atoms, 1 element
both atoms are chlorine · count the kinds of atoms, not the atoms
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Guided example: solution

Cl₂ gas from a cylinder
every particle: 2 Cl atoms bonded, the same in every molecule
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases
Cl₂: 2 atoms, 1 element
both atoms are chlorine · count the kinds of atoms, not the atoms
Step 3 · Name the class
Cl₂ → an element
pure substance · one element · no chemical change breaks it into anything simpler
Dr. Karmach

Guided example: solution

Cl₂ gas from a cylinder
every particle: 2 Cl atoms bonded, the same in every molecule
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases
Cl₂: 2 atoms, 1 element
both atoms are chlorine · count the kinds of atoms, not the atoms
Step 3 · Name the class
Cl₂ → an element
pure substance · one element · no chemical change breaks it into anything simpler
A molecule of an element can hold several atoms: H₂, N₂, O₂, S₈. Two or more different elements make a compound. Two or more atoms of one element do not.
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Guided example: the route on the map

Cl₂ gas from a cylinder
given: every particle is Cl₂ · found: an element

Count 1: one kind of particle → pure substance. Count 2: one element → element. The two atoms per molecule enter neither count. ✓
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Practice 1

white phosphorus: P₄ molecules only
every molecule: 4 P atoms bonded together

A sample of white phosphorus contains nothing but P₄ molecules. How should the sample be classified, and why?

  1. Compound: four atoms are chemically bonded in every molecule
  2. Homogeneous mixture: the solid looks the same at every point
  3. Compound: P₄ has one fixed formula, and a fixed formula marks a compound
  4. Element: all four atoms in each molecule are phosphorus
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Practice 1 · answer: D

white phosphorus → an element (answer D)
one kind of particle, P₄ · one element, phosphorus · 4 atoms per molecule, all P

A counted atoms, not kinds of atoms: four bonded P atoms are still one element. B: looking the same everywhere shows one phase, and one kind of particle already makes the sample pure. C: every pure substance has a fixed formula, elements included; this formula holds only P.

Count the different element symbols in the formula, not the subscript. P₄ shows one symbol: an element.
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Practice 1: the route on the map

white phosphorus: P₄ molecules only
given: every particle is P₄ · found: an element

Count 1: one kind of particle → pure substance. Count 2: one element symbol, P → element. ✓
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Worked example 1: carbon dioxide

CO₂ from a fire extinguisher
every particle: 1 C + 2 O = 3 atoms, the same in every molecule

A CO₂ fire extinguisher discharges nothing but carbon dioxide. Classify the gas.

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Worked example 1: solution

CO₂ from a fire extinguisher
every particle: 1 C + 2 O = 3 atoms, the same in every molecule

Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles

Every particle in the tank is the same CO₂ molecule. One kind of particle: a pure substance.

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Worked example 1: solution

CO₂ from a fire extinguisher
every particle: 1 C + 2 O = 3 atoms, the same in every molecule
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases

A pure substance, so count elements. The formula holds carbon and oxygen: two elements.

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Worked example 1: solution

CO₂ from a fire extinguisher
every particle: 1 C + 2 O = 3 atoms, the same in every molecule
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases Step 3 · Name the class
CO₂ → a compound
pure substance · two elements · fixed 1 C : 2 O ratio
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Worked example 1: solution

CO₂ from a fire extinguisher
every particle: 1 C + 2 O = 3 atoms, the same in every molecule
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases Step 3 · Name the class
CO₂ → a compound
pure substance · two elements · fixed 1 C : 2 O ratio
Every CO₂ molecule carries the same 1 : 2 ratio, and only a chemical reaction separates the carbon from the oxygen. Fixed composition marks a compound.
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: the route on the map

CO₂ from a fire extinguisher
given: every particle is CO₂ · found: a compound

Count 1: one kind of particle → pure substance. Count 2: two elements, C and O → compound. ✓
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Worked example 2: salt water

salt water
one clear liquid: uniform throughout, every drop the same

Ocean water is salt dissolved in water.

A common first attempt: uniform throughout, so a compound. Test it.

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Worked example 2: solution

salt water
one clear liquid: uniform throughout, every drop the same

A common first attempt

salt water = a compound?
a compound keeps one fixed ratio; this sample holds however much salt was stirred in ✗

Stir in more salt: still clear, still salt water. The ratio changed with no chemical reaction. A compound's composition cannot change without one.

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Worked example 2: solution

salt water
one clear liquid: uniform throughout, every drop the same
A common first attempt
salt water = a compound?
a compound keeps one fixed ratio; this sample holds however much salt was stirred in ✗
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles

Water molecules and dissolved salt: two kinds. A mixture, and boiling, a physical change, separates them.

Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: solution

salt water
one clear liquid: uniform throughout, every drop the same
A common first attempt
salt water = a compound?
a compound keeps one fixed ratio; this sample holds however much salt was stirred in ✗
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases Step 3 · Name the class

A mixture, so count phases. One phase, uniform throughout:

salt water → a homogeneous mixture
two kinds of particles · one phase · composition varies
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Worked example 2: solution

salt water
one clear liquid: uniform throughout, every drop the same
A common first attempt
salt water = a compound?
a compound keeps one fixed ratio; this sample holds however much salt was stirred in ✗
Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases Step 3 · Name the class
salt water → a homogeneous mixture
two kinds of particles · one phase · composition varies
Uniform answers the phase question, not the purity question. Salt water is uniform and still a mixture.
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Worked example 2: the route on the map

salt water
given: water and dissolved salt · found: a homogeneous mixture

Count 1: two kinds of particles → mixture. Count 2: one phase → homogeneous. The route never visits the compound box. ✓
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Take-home: uniform does not mean compound

water: always 2 H : 1 O
compound: one substance, fixed ratio, separated only by chemical reaction
salt water: any ratio that dissolves
homogeneous mixture: uniform, variable composition, separated by boiling

A compound keeps one fixed ratio. A homogeneous mixture is uniform, but its composition can vary. Uniformity describes phases, never bonding.

Dr. Karmach

Your turn: oil-and-vinegar dressing

oil-and-vinegar dressing
an oil layer floating on a vinegar layer
step question answer
1 · kinds of particles one kind, or more? more than one →
2 · phases how many phases? distinct layers
3 · name the class

Complete the three counts.

Dr. Karmach

Your turn: oil-and-vinegar dressing

oil-and-vinegar dressing
an oil layer floating on a vinegar layer
step question answer
1 · kinds of particles one kind, or more? more than one →
2 · phases how many phases? distinct layers
3 · name the class

Complete the three counts.

dressing → a heterogeneous mixture
more than one kind of particle · two phases: a top sample is oil, a bottom sample is vinegar
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Your turn: the route on the map

oil-and-vinegar dressing
given: an oil layer on a vinegar layer · found: a heterogeneous mixture

Count 1: more than one kind of particle → mixture. Count 2: two layers, two phases → heterogeneous. ✓
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Where this goes wrong

Calling a uniform mixture a compound. Brass is uniform, but its copper-to-zinc ratio varies batch to batch. A compound keeps one fixed ratio. Uniform appearance does not show chemical bonds.
Calling every multi-substance sample heterogeneous. Air holds nitrogen, oxygen, and argon in one phase. Several substances can share a single uniform phase: homogeneous.
Reading "same properties throughout" as pure. Same everywhere means one phase, nothing more. A pure substance also needs fixed composition, and sugar water's composition can vary.
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Practice 2

white vinegar: acetic acid dissolved in water
one clear liquid, uniform throughout

A bottle of white vinegar looks completely uniform. How should it be classified, and why?

  1. Pure substance: it shows the same properties at every point, so it is a single substance
  2. Homogeneous mixture: it is uniform throughout, but its acid-to-water ratio can vary
  3. Compound: a uniform liquid must have its components chemically bonded in a fixed ratio
  4. Heterogeneous mixture: it contains more than one substance, so it cannot be uniform
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Practice 2 · answer: B

white vinegar → a homogeneous mixture (answer B)
two kinds of particles · one phase · one bottle can hold more acid than another

A: same properties throughout shows one phase, not one substance; the composition can still vary. C: uniform appearance does not show bonding; the acid and water separate by distillation, a physical change. D: several substances can share one phase; classification follows the phase count, not the substance count.

Uniform → homogeneous. Variable composition → mixture. Both labels apply to the same bottle.
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Practice 2: the route on the map

white vinegar: acetic acid dissolved in water
given: one clear liquid, uniform throughout · found: a homogeneous mixture

Count 1: acid and water, two kinds of particles → mixture. Count 2: one phase → homogeneous. ✓
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Worked example 3: air, brass, milk

air · brass · milk
a gas, a solid, and a liquid

The air in the room, the brass of a doorknob, a glass of milk. Work the three steps on each sample.

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Worked example 3: kinds of particles

air · brass · milk
a gas, a solid, and a liquid

Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles

sample particles
air N₂, O₂, Ar, and more
brass copper atoms and zinc atoms
milk water, fats, proteins, sugars
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Worked example 3: kinds of particles

air · brass · milk
a gas, a solid, and a liquid

Step 1 · Count the kinds of particles

sample particles
air N₂, O₂, Ar, and more
brass copper atoms and zinc atoms
milk water, fats, proteins, sugars

Each sample holds more than one kind of particle: three mixtures, in three physical states.

A mixture can be a gas, a solid, or a liquid. State does not enter the classification.
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 3: phases and the class

air · brass · milk: three mixtures

Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases

sample phases
air one, uniform at every point
brass one, a uniform solid
milk two, fat droplets in a watery liquid
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 3: phases and the class

air · brass · milk: three mixtures
Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases
sample phases
air one, uniform at every point
brass one, a uniform solid
milk two, fat droplets in a watery liquid

Step 3 · Name the class

air → homogeneous · brass → homogeneous · milk → heterogeneous
air: 78% N₂ + 21% O₂ + 1% other = 100% · one phase, variable composition
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Worked example 3: phases and the class

air · brass · milk: three mixtures
Step 2 · Count the elements or the phases
sample phases
air one, uniform at every point
brass one, a uniform solid
milk two, fat droplets in a watery liquid

Step 3 · Name the class

air → homogeneous · brass → homogeneous · milk → heterogeneous
air: 78% N₂ + 21% O₂ + 1% other = 100% · one phase, variable composition
Milk looks uniform; magnified, fat droplets show real boundaries. Phase count, not appearance.
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Practice 3

an unlabeled jar of colorless crystals
observation 1: under magnification, every crystal looks identical · observation 2: every sample analyzed has the same composition; strong heating leaves black carbon as water vapor escapes

How should the crystals be classified?

  1. Homogeneous mixture: every crystal looks alike, and heating separates the carbon from the water
  2. Element: every crystal is identical, and every sample has the same composition
  3. Compound: fixed composition in every sample, and heating breaks it into new, simpler substances
  4. Heterogeneous mixture: heating leaves a black solid and a vapor, two phases
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Practice 3 · answer: C

the crystals → a compound (answer C)
one kind of particle · fixed composition · a chemical change breaks it down

Step 1: the same composition in every sample means one kind of particle, a pure substance. Step 2: heating turns it into carbon and water, new substances: a chemical change. A pure substance that a reaction breaks down holds more than one element: a compound.

A: a mixture varies in composition and separates by a physical change; charring is chemical. B: fixed composition marks any pure substance, and no reaction breaks an element down. D: counts the phases of the products, not of the sample.

Uniform describes phases. Fixed composition says pure. Breakdown by reaction says compound.
Dr. Karmach

Practice 3: the route on the map

an unlabeled jar of colorless crystals
given: fixed composition · heating breaks it into carbon and water · found: a compound

Count 1: fixed composition → pure substance. Count 2: a reaction breaks it down → two or more elements → compound. ✓
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Practice 4

a soft grey metal bead from a stockroom jar
observation 1: cut and magnified, the metal is uniform, and every sample analyzed has the same composition · observation 2: melted in an open crucible and stirred in air for hours, it slowly turns into a yellow powder heavier than the bead; no reaction has ever produced anything simpler from it

How should the bead be classified?

  1. Homogeneous mixture
  2. Element
  3. Compound
  4. Heterogeneous mixture
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Practice 4 · answer: B

the bead → an element (answer B)
one phase · fixed composition: pure · heating in air adds oxygen; nothing simpler ever comes out

Step 1: the same composition in every sample means one kind of particle, a pure substance. Step 2: turning into a yellow powder is a chemical change, but the powder outweighs the bead, so oxygen from the air joined the metal. Nothing broke off: one element.

C read every chemical change as a breakdown; this one combines the metal with oxygen. A: uniform shows one phase, and fixed composition rules out a mixture. D counted the bead and the powder after heating, not the phases of the sample.

A heavier product means something joined the sample. Simpler products mean the sample broke apart. Only a breakdown marks a compound.
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4: the route on the map

a soft grey metal bead
given: same composition in every sample · heating in air only adds oxygen · found: an element

Count 1: fixed composition → pure substance. Count 2: no reaction yields anything simpler → one element → element. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Check yourself

  1. A sealed bottle of soda water looks uniform throughout. Work the counts: kinds of particles, then phases. What class results?
  2. Ice floats in liquid water. How many kinds of particles? How many phases? Is the sample a mixture?

Separating a mixture is a physical change: boiling, filtering, settling. Breaking a compound into its elements is a chemical change. The same distinction, physical or chemical, classifies every property a substance shows.

Dr. Karmach

3 · Physical & Chemical Properties

Classify any property or change as physical or chemical by asking whether the substance keeps its identity, read the four signals of a chemical change, and judge a change from an equation's formulas.

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One match, two fates

Snap a match: two pieces, still wood. Strike it: flame, smoke, ash, and nothing brings the wood back. Some changes keep a substance. Some end it.

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Composition and properties

H₂O(g) → H₂O(l) · CH₄(g) + 2 O₂(g) → CO₂(g) + 2 H₂O(g)
steam condensing on a cold window · methane burning on a gas stove

Chemistry studies composition, what matter is made of, and properties, the traits that describe it. Every label in this topic asks one question: did the composition change?

Which change keeps the composition?

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Composition and properties

H₂O(g) → H₂O(l) · CH₄(g) + 2 O₂(g) → CO₂(g) + 2 H₂O(g)
steam condensing on a cold window · methane burning on a gas stove

Chemistry studies composition, what matter is made of, and properties, the traits that describe it. Every label in this topic asks one question: did the composition change?

Which change keeps the composition?

steam: H₂O before, H₂O after → composition kept
methane: C: 1 = 1 · H: 4 = 4 · O: 4 = 4, the same atoms, but CH₄ and O₂ became CO₂ and H₂O → composition changed
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Two kinds of properties

A property describes a substance; the question is what the description costs. Physical properties can be observed with the sample intact. Chemical properties tell what a substance can become, and seeing that takes a reaction.

physical property: observe it, keep the sample
color · odor · density · melting point: the coin survives having its density measured
chemical property: see it only in a reaction
flammable · tarnishes · will not burn: yes or no, the answer takes a reaction test
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Two kinds of changes

Changes get the identity question too. Melt ice, dissolve sugar, tear paper: the substances are all still there, in new forms. Burn paper and it is gone; new substances hold its atoms.

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Evidence a new substance formed

No one watches atoms rebond. What shows up instead: a color no ingredient had, a gas from a mixture that is not boiling, a solid from two clear liquids, heat or light given off.

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The method

  1. Name the substance before and after. Same substance → physical. New substance → chemical.
  2. Check the evidence. New color, gas, solid, or energy change → new substance.
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One map for every property and change

Two questions sort every statement. First: a property, which describes, or a change, which happens? Second: does a new substance form, in the change or in the test that shows the property?

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Guided example: ethanol's boiling point

ethanol, C₂H₅OH: boils at 78 °C
one entry on a data sheet · wanted: physical or chemical property

A data sheet for ethanol, the alcohol in hand sanitizer, lists: boils at 78 °C. Classify the entry.

On the map, answer the first question before the second.

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Guided example: solution

ethanol, C₂H₅OH: boils at 78 °C
one entry on a data sheet · wanted: physical or chemical property

Property or change?

"Boils at 78 °C" describes ethanol. It is a number on a label, not an event in a flask: a property.

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Guided example: solution

ethanol, C₂H₅OH: boils at 78 °C
one entry on a data sheet · wanted: physical or chemical property
Property or change? Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
C₂H₅OH(l) → C₂H₅OH(g) at 78 °C
C: 2 = 2 · H: 6 = 6 · O: 1 = 1 · ethanol before · ethanol after

Measuring the boiling point boils some ethanol. The vapor is still ethanol.

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Guided example: solution

ethanol, C₂H₅OH: boils at 78 °C
one entry on a data sheet · wanted: physical or chemical property
Property or change? Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
C₂H₅OH(l) → C₂H₅OH(g) at 78 °C
C: 2 = 2 · H: 6 = 6 · O: 1 = 1 · ethanol before · ethanol after
Step 2 · Check the evidence
boils at 78 °C → a physical property
bubbles appear, but the gas is ethanol · no new color, solid, or substance
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Guided example: solution

ethanol, C₂H₅OH: boils at 78 °C
one entry on a data sheet · wanted: physical or chemical property
Property or change? Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
C₂H₅OH(l) → C₂H₅OH(g) at 78 °C
C: 2 = 2 · H: 6 = 6 · O: 1 = 1 · ethanol before · ethanol after
Step 2 · Check the evidence
boils at 78 °C → a physical property
bubbles appear, but the gas is ethanol · no new color, solid, or substance
Observing the property left ethanol as ethanol. Bubbles from a boiling liquid are that liquid's own vapor, never a new gas.
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Guided example: the route on the map

ethanol, C₂H₅OH: boils at 78 °C
property · no reaction needed to see it · found: a physical property

Two questions, two answers: a property, and no reaction to see it. Physical property. ✓
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Practice 1

vinegar poured onto baking soda
the mixture foams over as bubbles of carbon dioxide escape

Vinegar poured onto baking soda foams as carbon dioxide bubbles out. Is this a physical or a chemical change?

  1. Physical, because the bubbles are a gas, as in boiling water
  2. Chemical, because any change that can be seen is chemical
  3. Physical, because the baking soda only dissolves in the vinegar
  4. Chemical, because carbon dioxide is a new substance, in neither starting material
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Practice 1 · answer: D

vinegar + baking soda → carbon dioxide gas + new dissolved substances (answer D)
CO₂ before: none · CO₂ after: bubbling out · a gas from a mixture that is not boiling → chemical change

A: boiling bubbles are the liquid's own vapor; nothing here boils, and CO₂ is neither vinegar nor baking soda. B: right verdict, false rule; melting ice is seen too, and it is physical. C: dissolving makes no gas; the foam is a new substance leaving the bowl.

One question settles it: is the gas a new substance? CO₂ was in neither bottle. ✓
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Practice 1: the route on the map

vinegar poured onto baking soda
change · new substance after: CO₂ · found: a chemical change

A change, and a new substance after it: chemical change. The bubbles are the evidence. ✓
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Worked example 1: butter in a pan

butter in a hot pan: melts, then browns and smokes
event 1: solid → clear yellow liquid · event 2: liquid → brown residue + smoke + sharp smell

Butter dropped in a warm pan melts. Left on the heat, it browns, smokes, and turns bitter. Two events, one pan. Classify each.

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Worked example 1: solution

butter in a hot pan: melts, then browns and smokes

Step 1 · Name the substance before and after

Melting: solid butter becomes liquid butter. Cool the pan and the same butter hardens back. Same substance, new form:

melting → a physical change
same butter · new form · fully undone by cooling
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Worked example 1: solution

butter in a hot pan: melts, then browns and smokes
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
melting → a physical change
same butter · new form · fully undone by cooling
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after, again

Browning: the butter becomes brown solids, smoke, and a sharp smell. Cooling leaves them brown. The butter is gone.

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Worked example 1: solution

butter in a hot pan: melts, then browns and smokes
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
melting → a physical change
same butter · new form · fully undone by cooling
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after, again Step 2 · Check the evidence
browning → a chemical change
color change · gas and smoke · new smell · not undone by cooling
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Worked example 1: solution

butter in a hot pan: melts, then browns and smokes
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
melting → a physical change
same butter · new form · fully undone by cooling
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after, again Step 2 · Check the evidence
browning → a chemical change
color change · gas and smoke · new smell · not undone by cooling
The pan ran the identity test twice. Cooling reverses melting; nothing on a stove has ever un-browned toast, and butter follows the same rule.
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Worked example 1: the route on the map

butter in a hot pan: melts, then browns and smokes
melting: same butter → physical change · browning: brown solids, smoke, new smell → chemical change

One pan, two exits. Both events are changes; only browning made a new substance. ✓
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Worked example 2: changes written as equations

two changes, each ending in a gas
(a) I₂(s) → I₂(g) · (b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)

Iodine crystals warmed in a flask give off violet vapor. Hydrogen peroxide poured on a cut foams. A common first claim: a gas appeared, so both changes are chemical. Classify each from its formulas.

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Worked example 2: solution

two changes, each ending in a gas · (a) I₂(s) → I₂(g) · (b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)

Step 1 · Name the substance before and after

(a) I₂(s) → I₂(g)
I₂ before · I₂ after · only the state label changed → physical
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Worked example 2: solution

two changes, each ending in a gas · (a) I₂(s) → I₂(g) · (b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
(a) I₂(s) → I₂(g)
I₂ before · I₂ after · only the state label changed → physical
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after, again
(b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
H: 4 = 4 ✓ · O: 4 = 4 ✓ · H₂O₂ before · H₂O and O₂ after → chemical
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Worked example 2: solution

two changes, each ending in a gas · (a) I₂(s) → I₂(g) · (b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
(a) I₂(s) → I₂(g)
I₂ before · I₂ after · only the state label changed → physical
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after, again
(b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
H: 4 = 4 ✓ · O: 4 = 4 ✓ · H₂O₂ before · H₂O and O₂ after → chemical
Step 2 · Check the evidence

Both changes give off a gas. In (a) the gas is iodine, the same substance in a new state. In (b) oxygen bubbles out of a liquid that is not boiling.

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Worked example 2: solution

two changes, each ending in a gas · (a) I₂(s) → I₂(g) · (b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after
(a) I₂(s) → I₂(g)
I₂ before · I₂ after · only the state label changed → physical
Step 1 · Name the substance before and after, again
(b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
H: 4 = 4 ✓ · O: 4 = 4 ✓ · H₂O₂ before · H₂O and O₂ after → chemical
Step 2 · Check the evidence
A (g) shows up on the right of both equations, so a gas counts as evidence only when it is a new substance. Iodine vapor is still iodine; O₂ is new.
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Worked example 2: the route on the map

(a) I₂(s) → I₂(g) · (b) 2 H₂O₂(l) → 2 H₂O(l) + O₂(g)
(a) I₂ on both sides → physical change · (b) new formulas H₂O and O₂ → chemical change

In an equation, the formulas answer the second question: same formula, physical; new formula, chemical. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Take-home: one question does the sorting

identity kept → physical
melting, dissolving, cutting: the substance survives in a new form
identity lost → chemical
burning, rusting, browning: new substances hold the old atoms

Every label in this topic rides on one question: is the original substance still there? Yes, in any shape or state: physical. No: chemical, and the evidence usually announces it.

Dr. Karmach

Your turn: a nail in the rain

an iron nail, weeks outdoors: an orange-brown, flaky coat
the coat scrapes off as a brittle powder, nothing like the shiny metal beneath
step question answer
1 · substance after is the coat still iron? no, a new orange solid → change
2 · evidence which signals appear? a change and a new solid
3 · undo it does scraping restore the iron?

Complete the three rows.

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Your turn: a nail in the rain

an iron nail, weeks outdoors: an orange-brown, flaky coat
the coat scrapes off as a brittle powder, nothing like the shiny metal beneath
step question answer
1 · substance after is the coat still iron? no, a new orange solid → change
2 · evidence which signals appear? a change and a new solid
3 · undo it does scraping restore the iron?

Complete the three rows.

rusting → a chemical change
iron + air + water → rust · color change, new brittle solid · scraping removes rust and restores nothing
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Where this goes wrong

Calling dissolving a chemical change. Sugar vanishes into tea, but boil the tea away and the sugar is back, unchanged. Out of sight is not out of existence: the sugar kept its identity. Physical.
Reading every bubble as a reaction. Boiling water bubbles furiously, and the gas is water vapor: the same substance. Gas counts as evidence when it is a new substance appearing from a mixture that is not boiling.
Confusing a property with a change. "Melts at 35 °C" is a physical property, a number that sits on a label. "The butter melted" is a physical change, an event in a pan. Properties describe; changes happen.
Judging a change by how dramatic it looks. A beaker hits the floor and bursts into shards with a loud crack: still glass, in smaller pieces. Physical. A silver spoon darkens quietly over a month as a new black solid coats it. Chemical. A new substance is the evidence, never the size of the show.
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Practice 2

gasoline: a liquid · floats on water · evaporates fast · flammable
four descriptions of one substance

Four descriptions of gasoline. Which one is a chemical property?

  1. It is a liquid at room temperature
  2. It floats on water
  3. It evaporates quickly from an open container
  4. It is flammable
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Practice 2 · answer: D

flammable → a chemical property (answer D)
observing it turns the gasoline into carbon dioxide and water: the description costs the sample

A: state is observed by looking; the liquid stays gasoline. B: floating compares two densities, and both liquids survive the comparison. C: evaporation trades liquid for vapor, still gasoline; chill the vapor and it condenses right back.

Three descriptions leave the gasoline in the can. The fourth can be confirmed once, from a distance.
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Practice 2: the route on the map

gasoline: a liquid · floats on water · evaporates fast · flammable
three seen with the sample kept → physical properties · flammable → chemical property

All four are properties. Only flammability takes a reaction to see. ✓
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Practice 3

four changes, each written with formulas and state labels
A, B, C, D · wanted: the one physical change

Which equation shows a physical change?

  1. 3 O₂(g) → 2 O₃(g)
  2. NH₃(g) → NH₃(l)
  3. NH₄Cl(s) → NH₃(g) + HCl(g)
  4. 2 NO₂(g) → N₂O₄(g)
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Practice 3 · answer: B

NH₃(g) → NH₃(l): NH₃ on both sides → physical change (answer B)
N: 1 = 1 · H: 3 = 3 · only the state label changes: ammonia gas condenses
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Practice 3 · answer: B

NH₃(g) → NH₃(l): NH₃ on both sides → physical change (answer B)
N: 1 = 1 · H: 3 = 3 · only the state label changes: ammonia gas condenses
A: 3 O₂ → 2 O₃ · C: NH₄Cl → NH₃ + HCl · D: 2 NO₂ → N₂O₄
a new formula on the right in each → chemical change

A: only oxygen on both sides, but O₃ is a different substance from O₂. C: a solid turning into gases looks like sublimation, yet two new formulas form. D: counts match, N: 2 = 2 · O: 4 = 4, as in every balanced equation; NO₂ still became N₂O₄.

Compare formulas, not state labels or atom counts. Only a formula kept across the arrow makes a change physical. ✓
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Practice 3: the route on the map

B: NH₃(g) → NH₃(l) · A, C, D: a new formula after the arrow
B: same formula → physical change · A, C, D: new substance → chemical change

Four changes, one question each: a new formula after the arrow? Only B says no. ✓
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Practice 4

chlorine, four entries in a lab notebook
(1) a greenish-yellow gas · (2) Cl₂(g) → Cl₂(l) at −34 °C · (3) Cl₂(g) + 2 Na(s) → 2 NaCl(s) · (4) does not burn in air

Which entries are chemical, either a chemical property or a chemical change?

  1. (3) and (4)
  2. (3) only
  3. (2) and (3)
  4. (2), (3), and (4)
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Practice 4 · answer: A

(3) and (4) are chemical (answer A)
(1) color: physical property · (2) Cl₂ on both sides: physical change · (3) NaCl is new: chemical change · (4) a failed burn test: chemical property

B: "does not burn" still reports what a reaction test found, so it is a chemical property. C: (2) keeps the same formula, Cl₂, and only the state label changes; condensing is physical. It also drops (4). D: counts the condensation as a reaction because it is written as an equation.

An arrow does not make a reaction; a new formula does. A burn test answers yes or no, and either answer is chemistry.
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Practice 4: the route on the map

chlorine, four entries in a lab notebook
(1) physical property · (2) physical change · (3) chemical change · (4) chemical property

Four entries, four different exits. The first question split them; the second decided each one. ✓
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Practice 5

calcium oxide (lime), three entries on a data sheet
(1) melts at 2613 °C · (2) 56.1 g of CaO combines with 18.0 g of water · (3) density: 3.34 g/cm³

A data sheet for lime, calcium oxide, lists the three entries above. Which entries are chemical properties?

  1. (1) and (2)
  2. (2) and (3)
  3. (2) only
  4. (1), (2), and (3)
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Practice 5 · answer: C

(2) only is a chemical property (answer C)
(1) melted, still CaO: physical · (2) CaO(s) + H₂O(l) → Ca(OH)₂(s): chemical · (3) sample kept: physical

A: melting-as-reaction slip; 2613 °C is extreme, but the liquid that forms is still CaO. B: density-as-reaction slip; density identifies lime, yet weighing and measuring a sample leaves it CaO. D: reads "a property of a chemical" as "a chemical property"; a data sheet lists both kinds, and a number with units never decides which.

56.1 g + 18.0 g = 74.1 g of calcium hydroxide. Only (2) tells what lime can become; (1) and (3) describe lime as it is. ✓
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Practice 5: the route on the map

calcium oxide (lime), three entries on a data sheet
all three are properties · (1), (3) no reaction to see them: physical · (2) Ca(OH)₂ forms: chemical

Three numbers, one branch. Units do not decide the exit; whether seeing it takes a reaction does. ✓
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Check yourself

  1. A tablet dropped in water fizzes, the glass cools, and the tablet shrinks away. List every signal you can, then classify the change.
  2. Dry ice turns straight to gas, CO₂(s) → CO₂(g). Heated limestone gives off a gas too, CaCO₃(s) → CaO(s) + CO₂(g). Classify each change and name the clue in the formulas.

Physical or chemical, property or change: every label here comes from one habit. Ask what survived the event, and what the observation cost.

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4 · States of Matter

Name a sample's state from two checks, its shape and its volume, and back the call with the particle picture of spacing and motion.

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One substance, three states

Ice, tap water, steam off the kettle: all H₂O, the same molecule down to the last atom. What changed is how the molecules sit and how fast they move.

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Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma

solid · liquid · gas
the three states on the bench: ice, tap water, steam
plasma: a fourth state
lightning, neon signs, the Sun: a gas so hot its atoms break into charged particles

Matter has mass and takes up space, and it comes in states. Plasma needs extreme temperatures. Every sample in this course is a solid, a liquid, or a gas.

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The particle view

Matter is particles in motion. Solid: the particles touch and vibrate in place. Liquid: they touch but slide past one another. Gas: they fly apart, mostly empty space between them.

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Shape and volume follow the particles

solid: its own shape, its own volume
definite shape · definite volume · incompressible: locked particles hold both
liquid: the container's shape, its own volume
indefinite shape · definite volume · incompressible: touching keeps the volume, sliding loses the shape
gas: the container's shape, the container's volume
indefinite shape · indefinite volume · compressible: far-apart particles spread to fill the container, and a push packs them closer

Two questions sort every sample: does it keep its own shape, and does it keep its own volume. The particle picture answers both.

Dr. Karmach

Naming the changes of state

solid ⇄ liquid
melting: solid → liquid, energy in · freezing: liquid → solid, energy out
liquid ⇄ gas
evaporation (boiling): liquid → gas, energy in · condensation: gas → liquid, energy out
solid ⇄ gas
sublimation: solid → gas, energy in · deposition: gas → solid, energy out

Every change of state runs both ways, and each direction has a name. Toward gas, the sample takes energy in. Toward solid, it gives energy out. Dry ice sublimes. Frost deposits on a cold window.

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The three states in glassware

The bench shows all three daily. A powder holds its heap on the watch glass. A liquid levels flat against the beaker walls. A gas fills a stoppered flask completely, neck included.

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The method

  1. Check the shape: keeps its own shape → solid.
  2. Check the volume: keeps its own volume → liquid. Fills the container → gas.
  3. Back it with particles: locked in place, sliding, or far apart.

Dr. Karmach

Guided example: honey

250 mL of honey, poured from a jar into a wide bowl
it creeps out slowly · minutes later it lies flat across the bowl's bottom · still 250 mL

Honey pours so slowly that a common first call is solid. Name its state with the two checks, then back the call with particles.

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Guided example: solution

250 mL of honey, jar → wide bowl
lies flat across the bowl's bottom · still 250 mL

Step 1 · Check the shape

The honey left the jar's shape and settled into the bowl's. It does not keep its own shape, so it is not a solid.

Dr. Karmach

Guided example: solution

250 mL of honey, jar → wide bowl
lies flat across the bowl's bottom · still 250 mL
Step 1 · Check the shape Step 2 · Check the volume
jar: 250 mL → bowl: 250 mL
container's shape · own volume → liquid

The honey covers the bottom of the bowl but does not fill it. It keeps its own volume: a liquid.

Dr. Karmach

Guided example: solution

250 mL of honey, jar → wide bowl
lies flat across the bowl's bottom · still 250 mL
Step 1 · Check the shape Step 2 · Check the volume
jar: 250 mL → bowl: 250 mL
container's shape · own volume → liquid
Step 3 · Back it with particles

Honey's particles touch, which holds the 250 mL. They slide past one another, which gives up the shape. They just slide slowly.

Slow flow is still flow. Thickness sets how fast a liquid pours, never which state it is. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Guided example: the route on the map

250 mL of honey, jar → wide bowl
container's shape · own volume · found: liquid

Both checks ran: no to its own shape, yes to its own volume. The particle row backs the call. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 1

particles that touch one another and slide past one another
wanted: the state

In which state do the particles touch but slide past one another?

  1. Solid
  2. Liquid
  3. Gas
  4. Both solid and liquid
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Practice 1 · answer: B

touch + slide → liquid (answer B)
solid: touch, locked in place · liquid: touch, slide · gas: far apart, flying

A matched only the touching: solid particles touch but stay locked in place. C matched only the motion: gas particles move freely, but far apart, not touching. D matched only the touching too: a solid's particles do not slide, so a solid keeps its own shape.

Two features, one state. Touching holds the volume; sliding gives up the shape. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 1: the route on the map

particles touch and slide
found: liquid

The particle row reads both ways: from a state to its particles, or from the particles back to the state. ✓
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Practice 2

liquid water boils into steam
H₂O(l) → H₂O(g)

When liquid water boils into steam, what happens to its particles?

  1. They swell to many times their size
  2. They break apart into hydrogen and oxygen
  3. They move far apart, each keeping its size
  4. They stay touching but slide faster
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Practice 2 · answer: C

H₂O(l) → H₂O(g): same formula, new spacing (answer C)
liquid: particles touch · gas: far apart, mostly empty space · each H₂O molecule unchanged

A resized the particles: particles keep their size in every state, and only the space between them grows. B made a new substance: the bubbles are water vapor, and H₂O sits on both sides of the arrow. D describes hot liquid water: touching particles would keep their own volume, and steam fills its container.

Boiling changes spacing, never size or identity. Condense the steam and the same water returns. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 2: the route on the map

H₂O(l) → H₂O(g)
liquid: touching · gas: far apart · found: same particles, farther apart

Boiling moves a sample from the liquid leaf to the gas leaf. Only the particle row changes: touching becomes far apart. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 3

two samples, each moved into its own empty, sealed 6.0 L jug
1.5 L of helium from a balloon · 0.50 L of liquid water from a bottle

A balloon holds 1.5 L of helium and a bottle holds 0.50 L of water. Each sample is moved into its own empty, sealed 6.0 L jug. What total volume do the two samples fill, in liters?

  1. 6.5
  2. 2.0
  3. 12.0
  4. 7.5
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Practice 3 · answer: A

helium: a gas, the container's volume · water: a liquid, its own volume
given: 1.5 L helium, 0.50 L water, two 6.0 L jugs · wanted: total L

Two checks, one per sample. The helium fills its jug; the water keeps its 0.50 L.

6.0 L helium + 0.50 L water = 6.5 L (answer A)

B kept both volumes: 1.5 + 0.50 = 2.0, the helium treated as a liquid. C filled both jugs: 6.0 + 6.0 = 12.0, the water treated as a gas. D swapped the rules: 1.5 + 6.0 = 7.5, the gas kept its volume and the liquid spread.

The helium's starting 1.5 L never enters the sum. A gas takes its container's volume, whatever it came from. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 3: the route on the map

helium: container's volume · water: own volume
given: 1.5 L helium, 0.50 L water, two 6.0 L jugs · found: 6.5 L

Both samples fail the shape check. The volume check splits them: water keeps its own, helium fills the jug. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4

three 40 mL samples, each moved into its own empty 250 mL piston cylinder
X: spreads through all 250 mL, and pushing the piston squeezes it into 125 mL · Y: lies flat across the bottom, still 40 mL · Z: keeps the block shape it came in, still 40 mL

In which samples do the particles touch one another?

  1. Z only
  2. X and Y
  3. Y and Z
  4. X, Y, and Z
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4 · answer: C

X: indefinite shape and volume, compressible → gas · Y: indefinite shape, definite volume → liquid · Z: definite shape and volume → solid
touching: solid and liquid · far apart: gas → Y and Z (answer C)

Two moves: name each state with the two checks, then read the particle row.

Dr. Karmach

Practice 4 · answer: C

X: indefinite shape and volume, compressible → gas · Y: indefinite shape, definite volume → liquid · Z: definite shape and volume → solid
touching: solid and liquid · far apart: gas → Y and Z (answer C)
A stopped at locked particles: liquid particles touch too, which is why Y kept its 40 mL. B sorted by shape: X and Y both took the cylinder's shape, but shape follows sliding, not touching. D read the full cylinder as packed: X spread from 40 mL to 250 mL and then squeezed into 125 mL, so its particles sit far apart.
The volume check is the touching test. A sample that keeps its own volume has touching particles; one that fills any container does not. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4: the route on the map

three 40 mL samples in 250 mL piston cylinders
X: gas · Y: liquid · Z: solid · found: Y and Z touch

All three paths through the chart, then the particle row: the two leaves that keep their own volume are the two whose particles touch. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Check yourself

  1. A sealed syringe of air squeezes to half its size; a sealed syringe of water barely gives at all. Explain both results with particle spacing.
  2. Dry sand pours into a bucket and takes the bucket's shape. Run the two checks on one grain, then on the pile. Why is sand still a solid?

Every change of state carries an energy cost: melting and boiling take energy in, freezing and condensing give it back. Measuring that energy is its own topic, and it starts from this particle picture.

Dr. Karmach

5 · Energy

Say what energy is, sort stored energy from energy of motion in chemical settings, name heat and work as the two ways energy transfers, and keep temperature distinct from heat.

Dr. Karmach

Energy on an ordinary day

A campfire pours out heat and light. A charged battery runs a phone. Ice melting in a glass draws warmth from the drink. Chemistry tracks all of it.

Dr. Karmach

Energy: the capacity to do work or transfer heat

energy: the capacity to do work or to transfer heat
never created or destroyed · it changes form and changes place

A campfire creates no energy; it releases energy the wood already held. Every process moves energy from one place to another or converts it from one form to another.

Dr. Karmach

Changes in matter move energy

Physical and chemical changes both move energy. Melting iron takes energy in. Freezing water and burning methane give energy out. The direction depends on the particular change, not on whether it is physical or chemical.

Dr. Karmach

Kinetic and potential energy

Kinetic energy is energy of motion: molecules never stop moving. Potential energy is stored by position or arrangement. Chemical bonds store potential energy; burning rearranges the atoms and releases it.

Dr. Karmach

Heat and work: the two ways energy moves

heat: energy moving because temperatures differ
a hot pan warms the water poured into it
work: energy moving because a force pushes something
expanding gases push a car's piston down the cylinder

Energy passes between things through exactly two channels. Heat needs a temperature difference; work needs a push. Every transfer, however complicated, is one, the other, or both.

Dr. Karmach

Temperature is not heat

a cup of tea and a bathtub, both at 40 °C
same temperature · the tub holds far more energy and gives up far more as it cools

Temperature measures how fast the particles are moving, on average. Heat is an amount of energy in transfer. A cup and a bathtub can match in temperature and still differ enormously in energy.

Dr. Karmach

Energy: forms and transfers

kinetic: energy of motion · potential: energy stored by position or arrangement
heat and work move energy between things · temperature measures average particle motion, not an amount of energy

Energy comes in counted amounts, and the units carry names: the joule, the calorie, and the food Calorie. Thermochemistry measures the heat a reaction releases or absorbs.

Dr. Karmach

6 · Precision & Accuracy

Judge a set of repeated measurements two ways: precision from the trials' relative range, accuracy from their average's percent error, each verdict decided against the 2% bar.

Dr. Karmach

The same wrong answer, four times

A 50.00-g standard is weighed four times. Every reading lands near 51.4 g. The trials agree with one another; not one of them is right.

Dr. Karmach

Close to each other, close to the true value

standard: 30.00 g · two balances, three trials each
check 1: are the trials close to each other? · check 2: are they close to 30.00 g?
balance 1: 30.01 · 29.99 · 30.00 g → close to each other ✓ close to 30.00 g ✓
balance 2: 30.91 · 30.89 · 30.90 g

Run both checks on balance 2.

Dr. Karmach

Close to each other, close to the true value

standard: 30.00 g · two balances, three trials each
check 1: are the trials close to each other? · check 2: are they close to 30.00 g?
balance 1: 30.01 · 29.99 · 30.00 g → close to each other ✓ close to 30.00 g ✓
balance 2: 30.91 · 30.89 · 30.90 g

Run both checks on balance 2.

balance 2 → close to each other ✓ every trial 0.89 to 0.91 g high ✗

Close to each other is precise. Close to the true value is accurate. Balance 1 is both; balance 2 is precise only.

Dr. Karmach

Two questions about repeated measurements

Repeated trials form a set, and the set is judged twice. Each verdict comes from its own comparison.

precise = the trials agree with one another
uses only the trials themselves · pRecise: Repeatable
accurate = the average lands on the true value
uses the average and the accepted true value · aCcurate: Correct
Dr. Karmach

The four outcomes

The center is the true value; × marks the average. A shared flaw, a miscalibrated balance, shifts the whole cluster together: precise but wrong. Random scatter cancels in the average: accurate but imprecise. The verdicts are independent.

Dr. Karmach

A number for each verdict

Each verdict has its own number. The range measures agreement among the trials. The error measures how far the average sits from the true value.

range = highest trial − lowest trial
range ÷ average × 100 = relative range (precision's number)
error = average − true value
error ÷ true value × 100 = percent error (accuracy's number)
Dr. Karmach

The 2% standard

"Close" and "consistent" are not measurements. Compute both percentages; test each against the same bar: 2%.

relative range = range ÷ average × 100; at most 2% → precise
above 2%, the trials disagree: not precise
percent error = |average − true value| ÷ true value × 100; at most 2% → accurate
above 2%, the average misses: not accurate

The 2% bar is a course convention, not a law of nature; other labs draw the line elsewhere.

Dr. Karmach

The method

  1. Compute the range: highest trial − lowest.
  2. Compute the average of the trials.
  3. Judge precision: relative range at most 2%.
  4. Judge accuracy: percent error at most 2%. State both verdicts.

Dr. Karmach

Guided example: the density of copper

trials: 8.85 · 8.97 · 8.91 g/cm³
true value: 8.96 g/cm³ (copper) · wanted: both verdicts

A student measures the density of a copper sample three times.

Run the four steps of the method. Judge the set: precise? accurate?

Dr. Karmach

Guided example: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

The range uses the trials alone. The average divides their sum by 3, an exact count.

range: 8.97 − 8.85 = 0.12 g/cm³
average: (8.85 + 8.97 + 8.91) ÷ 3 = 26.73 ÷ 3 = 8.910 g/cm³
Dr. Karmach

Guided example: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 8.97 − 8.85 = 0.12 g/cm³
average: (8.85 + 8.97 + 8.91) ÷ 3 = 26.73 ÷ 3 = 8.910 g/cm³
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy

Range as a percent of the average; miss as a percent of the true value.

relative range: 0.12 ÷ 8.910 × 100 = 1.3% → at most 2%: precise
percent error: (8.96 − 8.910) ÷ 8.96 × 100 = 0.6% → at most 2%: accurate
Dr. Karmach

Guided example: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 8.97 − 8.85 = 0.12 g/cm³
average: (8.85 + 8.97 + 8.91) ÷ 3 = 26.73 ÷ 3 = 8.910 g/cm³
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 0.12 ÷ 8.910 × 100 = 1.3% → at most 2%: precise
percent error: (8.96 − 8.910) ÷ 8.96 × 100 = 0.6% → at most 2%: accurate
Precise and accurate: both percentages pass the 2% bar. The average sits only 0.05 g/cm³ below copper's true density. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Guided example: the route on the map

trials: 8.85 · 8.97 · 8.91 g/cm³ · true value: 8.96 g/cm³
found: range 0.12 g/cm³ · average 8.910 g/cm³ · relative range 1.3% · percent error 0.6%

All four steps, in order. Both percentages fell under 2%, so both forks took the ≤ 2% branch and the set lands in "both". ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 1

balance readings (g)
W 5.49 · 5.85 · 5.68
X 5.81 · 5.83 · 5.82
Y 5.513 · 5.802 · 5.695
Z 5.67 · 5.91 · 5.44

Each balance weighs the same 5.670-g quarter three times. Which balance is precise?

  1. Balance W
  2. Balance X
  3. Balance Y
  4. Balance Z
Dr. Karmach

Practice 1 · answer: B

true mass of the quarter: 5.670 g · relative range at most 2% → precise
W: (5.85 − 5.49) ÷ 5.673 × 100 = 6.3% not precise
X: (5.83 − 5.81) ÷ 5.820 × 100 = 0.3% precise → answer B
Y: (5.802 − 5.513) ÷ 5.670 × 100 = 5.10% not precise
Z: (5.91 − 5.44) ÷ 5.673 × 100 = 8.3% not precise

A swapped the definitions: W's 5.673-g average sits on the true mass, which is accuracy. C counted digits: decimals show a finer scale, not agreement. D judged by one trial: 5.67 g matches, but the other two readings miss.

Dr. Karmach

Practice 1 · answer: B

true mass of the quarter: 5.670 g · relative range at most 2% → precise
W: (5.85 − 5.49) ÷ 5.673 × 100 = 6.3% not precise
X: (5.83 − 5.81) ÷ 5.820 × 100 = 0.3% precise → answer B
Y: (5.802 − 5.513) ÷ 5.670 × 100 = 5.10% not precise
Z: (5.91 − 5.44) ÷ 5.673 × 100 = 8.3% not precise
Precision compares the trials with one another. Balance X agrees with itself within 0.3%, yet its average sits 0.15 g above the true mass: precise, not accurate. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 1: the route on the map

balance X: 5.81 · 5.83 · 5.82 g
found: range 0.02 g · average 5.820 g · relative range 0.3%

Precision only: steps 1 to 3. The question asked only about precision, so step 4 and the verdict grid stay unused. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: checking a balance

trials: 51.42 g · 51.38 g · 51.44 g · 51.40 g
true value: 50.00 g (calibration standard) · wanted: both verdicts

A balance is checked with a standard of known mass, weighed four times.

Judge the set: precise? accurate?

Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 51.44 g − 51.38 g = 0.06 g
average: (51.42 + 51.38 + 51.44 + 51.40) ÷ 4 = 205.64 ÷ 4 = 51.41 g
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 51.44 g − 51.38 g = 0.06 g
average: (51.42 + 51.38 + 51.44 + 51.40) ÷ 4 = 205.64 ÷ 4 = 51.41 g
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 0.06 ÷ 51.41 × 100 = 0.12% → at most 2%: precise

A spread of 0.12% on a 50-g measurement: the trials agree. Precise.

Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 51.44 g − 51.38 g = 0.06 g
average: (51.42 + 51.38 + 51.44 + 51.40) ÷ 4 = 205.64 ÷ 4 = 51.41 g
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 0.06 ÷ 51.41 × 100 = 0.12% → at most 2%: precise
error: 51.41 g − 50.00 g = 1.41 g high → percent error 1.41 ÷ 50.00 × 100 = 2.8%, above 2%: not accurate
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 51.44 g − 51.38 g = 0.06 g
average: (51.42 + 51.38 + 51.44 + 51.40) ÷ 4 = 205.64 ÷ 4 = 51.41 g
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 0.06 ÷ 51.41 × 100 = 0.12% → at most 2%: precise
error: 51.41 g − 50.00 g = 1.41 g high → percent error 1.41 ÷ 50.00 × 100 = 2.8%, above 2%: not accurate
Precise but not accurate. All four trials carry the same 1.41-g error; agreement cannot expose it.
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 1: the route on the map

trials: 51.42 · 51.38 · 51.44 · 51.40 g · true value: 50.00 g
found: range 0.06 g · average 51.41 g · relative range 0.12% · percent error 2.8%

The forks split: under 2% at precision, above 2% at accuracy. The set lands in "precise only". ✓
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: boiling water

trials: 97.9 °C · 102.1 °C · 99.6 °C · 100.4 °C
true value: 100.0 °C (water boils at sea level) · wanted: both verdicts

A thermometer is read four times in boiling water at sea level.

A common first answer: the readings all land near the true 100.0 °C, so they are precise. Test it against the 2% standard.

Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 102.1 °C − 97.9 °C = 4.2 °C
average: (97.9 + 102.1 + 99.6 + 100.4) ÷ 4 = 400.0 ÷ 4 = 100.0 °C
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 102.1 °C − 97.9 °C = 4.2 °C
average: (97.9 + 102.1 + 99.6 + 100.4) ÷ 4 = 400.0 ÷ 4 = 100.0 °C
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 4.2 ÷ 100.0 × 100 = 4.2% → above 2%: not precise

Not precise. Precision compares the trials with one another; the true value is not part of that comparison.

Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 102.1 °C − 97.9 °C = 4.2 °C
average: (97.9 + 102.1 + 99.6 + 100.4) ÷ 4 = 400.0 ÷ 4 = 100.0 °C
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 4.2 ÷ 100.0 × 100 = 4.2% → above 2%: not precise
percent error: (100.0 − 100.0) ÷ 100.0 × 100 = 0.0% → at most 2%: accurate

Accurate. Nearness to the true value is accuracy's comparison, the one the first answer called precision.

Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: solution

Step 1 · Compute the range Step 2 · Compute the average

range: 102.1 °C − 97.9 °C = 4.2 °C
average: (97.9 + 102.1 + 99.6 + 100.4) ÷ 4 = 400.0 ÷ 4 = 100.0 °C
Step 3 · Judge precision Step 4 · Judge accuracy
relative range: 4.2 ÷ 100.0 × 100 = 4.2% → above 2%: not precise
percent error: (100.0 − 100.0) ÷ 100.0 × 100 = 0.0% → at most 2%: accurate
Accurate but not precise. Random errors land high and low with equal chance; in the average they cancel.
Dr. Karmach

Worked example 2: the route on the map

trials: 97.9 · 102.1 · 99.6 · 100.4 °C · true value: 100.0 °C
found: range 4.2 °C · average 100.0 °C · relative range 4.2% · percent error 0.0%

The opposite split: above 2% at precision, under 2% at accuracy. The set lands in "accurate only". ✓
Dr. Karmach

Take-home: two separate comparisons

trials: 97.9 · 102.1 · 99.6 · 100.4 °C; true value 100.0 °C
relative range 4.2%, above the 2% bar → not precise · percent error 0.0%, under it → accurate

Precision compares the trials with one another and never mentions the true value. Accuracy compares the average with the true value and never mentions the spread. Swapping the two comparisons flips the verdict.

Dr. Karmach

Your turn: density of an aluminum sample

trials: 2.41 · 2.43 · 2.40 · 2.42 g/mL
true density of aluminum: 2.70 g/mL
range: 2.43 − 2.40 = g/mL · average: (2.41 + 2.43 + 2.40 + 2.42) ÷ 4 = g/mL

Both verdicts:

Compute the range and the average, then test each percentage against the 2% bar.

Dr. Karmach

Your turn: density of an aluminum sample

trials: 2.41 · 2.43 · 2.40 · 2.42 g/mL
true density of aluminum: 2.70 g/mL
range: 2.43 − 2.40 = g/mL · average: (2.41 + 2.43 + 2.40 + 2.42) ÷ 4 = g/mL
range: 2.43 − 2.40 = 0.03 g/mL → relative range 0.03 ÷ 2.415 × 100 = 1.2%, at most 2%: precise
average: 9.66 ÷ 4 = 2.415 g/mL → percent error 0.285 ÷ 2.70 × 100 = 10.6%, above 2%: not accurate

Precise but not accurate.

Dr. Karmach

Practice 2

trials: 11.98 · 12.09 · 12.04 g/cm³
accepted density of lead: 11.34 g/cm³

A student measures the density of a lead sample three times. What is the percent error of the set?

  1. 0.91
  2. 5.6
  3. 5.8
  4. 6.2
Dr. Karmach

Practice 2 · answer: D

trials: 11.98 · 12.09 · 12.04 g/cm³
accepted density of lead: 11.34 g/cm³
average: (11.98 + 12.09 + 12.04) ÷ 3 = 36.11 ÷ 3 = 12.04 g/cm³
percent error: (12.04 − 11.34) ÷ 11.34 × 100 = 0.70 ÷ 11.34 × 100 = 6.2% → answer D

C divided by the average, not the true value: 0.70 ÷ 12.04 × 100 = 5.8. B judged the set by one trial: (11.98 − 11.34) ÷ 11.34 × 100 = 5.6. A computed precision's number, the relative range: (12.09 − 11.98) ÷ 12.04 × 100 = 0.91.

6.2% is above the 2% bar: not accurate. Every trial reads high, so the average does too. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 2: the route on the map

average: 12.04 g/cm³ · accepted density of lead: 11.34 g/cm³
found: percent error 6.2%

Accuracy only: the average and the true value. The range never entered, so steps 1 and 3 stay unused. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Where this goes wrong

Swapping the definitions. Trials of 97.9–102.1 °C averaging 100.0 °C get called "precise, since the average is right." An average on the true value is accuracy. Precision is agreement among the trials: relative range 4.2%, above 2% → not precise.
Judging the set by one trial. In 51.42, 51.38, 51.44, 51.40 g against a true 50.00 g, trial 2 sits 51.38 − 50.00 = 1.38 g from the true mass, yet the set is precise: relative range 0.12%, well under 2%. Both verdicts describe the whole set, never one reading.
Counting digits as accuracy. A caliper reads 14.42 cm, four digits, on a rod whose true length is 15.00 cm: the reading is 0.58 cm short. Digits show how finely the scale reads, not whether the reading is right.
Treating precise as accurate. Four readings within 0.06 g of one another all sit 1.41 g above the true mass: percent error 2.8%, above the bar. Agreement rules out scatter; it cannot rule out an error shared by every trial.
Dr. Karmach

Practice 3

trials: 26.32 mL · 26.28 mL · 26.34 mL · 26.30 mL
true volume: 25.00 mL

A pipette made to deliver 25.00 mL is tested four times. Which statement gives both verdicts?

  1. Precise but not accurate: the trials agree within 0.06 mL, and their average of 26.31 mL is 1.31 mL above the true volume.
  2. Not precise: trial 2, at 26.28 mL, sits 1.28 mL from the true volume, and one reading that far off rules out precision.
  3. Accurate but not precise: agreement within 0.06 mL makes the trials accurate, and the 1.31-mL gap from the true volume makes them imprecise.
  4. Accurate: every reading carries four digits, and digits that fine mean accuracy.
Dr. Karmach

Practice 3 · answer: A

trials: 26.32 mL · 26.28 mL · 26.34 mL · 26.30 mL
true volume: 25.00 mL
range: 26.34 − 26.28 = 0.06 mL → relative range 0.06 ÷ 26.31 × 100 = 0.23%, at most 2%: precise
average: (26.32 + 26.28 + 26.34 + 26.30) ÷ 4 = 26.31 mL → percent error 1.31 ÷ 25.00 × 100 = 5.2%, above 2%: not accurate → answer A

C swapped the definitions: the 0.06-mL agreement is precision, and the 1.31-mL miss is inaccuracy. B judged the set by one trial: 26.28 − 25.00 = 1.28 mL compares a single reading with the true value, which is accuracy's comparison. D counted digits: significant figures report how finely the pipette is read, and every reading is still about 1.3 mL high.

Dr. Karmach

Practice 3 · answer: A

trials: 26.32 mL · 26.28 mL · 26.34 mL · 26.30 mL
true volume: 25.00 mL
range: 26.34 − 26.28 = 0.06 mL → relative range 0.06 ÷ 26.31 × 100 = 0.23%, at most 2%: precise
average: (26.32 + 26.28 + 26.34 + 26.30) ÷ 4 = 26.31 mL → percent error 1.31 ÷ 25.00 × 100 = 5.2%, above 2%: not accurate → answer A
All four deliveries run high by nearly the same amount. A flaw in the pipette itself repeats identically in every trial. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 3: the route on the map

trials: 26.32 · 26.28 · 26.34 · 26.30 mL · true volume: 25.00 mL
found: range 0.06 mL · average 26.31 mL · relative range 0.23% · percent error 5.2%

The forks split: under 2% at precision, above 2% at accuracy. Precise only: a flaw in the pipette repeats in every delivery. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4

readings: 4.91 g · 5.09 g · 4.98 g · 5.06 g
true mass: 5.00 g

A 5.00-g brass check weight goes on a pocket scale four times. Which verdict is correct?

  1. Precise and accurate: the readings spread only 0.18 g and the average misses by only 0.01 g, both well under 2
  2. Precise but not accurate: the 0.2% figure shows the readings agree, and the 3.6% figure shows the average misses
  3. Neither: a 3.6% spread fails the bar, and readings that scatter cannot average onto the true value
  4. Accurate but not precise: the relative range, 3.6%, fails the 2% bar; the percent error, 0.2%, passes it
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4 · answer: D

range: 5.09 − 4.91 = 0.18 g → relative range 0.18 ÷ 5.01 × 100 = 3.6%, above 2%: not precise
average: 20.04 ÷ 4 = 5.01 g → percent error 0.01 ÷ 5.00 × 100 = 0.2%, at most 2%: accurate → answer D

A treated the 2% bar as 2 grams: 0.18 g is small only next to a large mass, and on a 5-g weight it is 3.6%. B swapped the definitions: relative range judges precision, percent error judges accuracy. C let one verdict answer both: high and low readings cancel in the average.

A small mass makes a small spread large in percent. Divide before judging. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 4: the route on the map

readings: 4.91 · 5.09 · 4.98 · 5.06 g · true mass: 5.00 g
found: range 0.18 g · average 5.01 g · relative range 3.6% · percent error 0.2%

Accurate only. In grams, 0.18 g looks small; as a percent of 5.01 g it fails the bar. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 5

set trials true value
1 · analytical balance 2.062 · 2.066 · 2.064 g 2.000 g
2 · pipette 9.89 · 10.12 · 10.04 mL 10.00 mL
3 · kitchen scale 247.1 · 246.8 · 247.4 g 250.0 g

Classify each set as precise only, accurate only, both, or neither. Which line gives sets 1, 2 and 3, in order?

  1. both · both · precise only
  2. accurate only · precise only · both
  3. precise only · accurate only · both
  4. precise only · neither · both
Dr. Karmach

Practice 5 · answer: C

1: 2.062 · 2.066 · 2.064 g   2: 9.89 · 10.12 · 10.04 mL   3: 247.1 · 246.8 · 247.4 g
true values: 2.000 g · 10.00 mL · 250.0 g · averages: 2.064 g · 10.02 mL · 247.1 g
set 1: 0.004 ÷ 2.064 × 100 = 0.2% precise · 0.064 ÷ 2.000 × 100 = 3.2% not accurate
set 2: 0.23 ÷ 10.02 × 100 = 2.3% not precise · 0.02 ÷ 10.00 × 100 = 0.2% accurate
set 3: 0.6 ÷ 247.1 × 100 = 0.2% precise · 2.9 ÷ 250.0 × 100 = 1.2% accurate → answer C

A treated the bar as 2 g or 2 mL: set 3's 2.9-g miss fails a 2-g bar but is only 1.2% of 250.0 g, and set 1's 0.064-g miss passes it but is 3.2%. B swapped the definitions on sets 1 and 2. D let one verdict answer both: set 2 scatters, yet its average lands within 0.2%.

Dr. Karmach

Practice 5 · answer: C

1: 2.062 · 2.066 · 2.064 g   2: 9.89 · 10.12 · 10.04 mL   3: 247.1 · 246.8 · 247.4 g
true values: 2.000 g · 10.00 mL · 250.0 g · averages: 2.064 g · 10.02 mL · 247.1 g
set 1: 0.004 ÷ 2.064 × 100 = 0.2% precise · 0.064 ÷ 2.000 × 100 = 3.2% not accurate
set 2: 0.23 ÷ 10.02 × 100 = 2.3% not precise · 0.02 ÷ 10.00 × 100 = 0.2% accurate
set 3: 0.6 ÷ 247.1 × 100 = 0.2% precise · 2.9 ÷ 250.0 × 100 = 1.2% accurate → answer C
Grams and milliliters never meet the bar directly. Divide first, then compare with 2%. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Practice 5: the route on the map

sets 1 · 2 · 3, all four steps run on each
found: precise only · accurate only · both

The orange badges mark the branch each set took at each fork and the cell where it landed. ✓
Dr. Karmach

Check yourself

  1. Four trials of a 20.00-g standard have a range of 0.04 g, and their average, 17.90 g, sits 2.1 g below the true value. Compute both percentages and give both verdicts.
  2. A single reading lands exactly on the true value. What does that establish about the set's precision?

Averages return with atoms. The atomic mass printed on the periodic table is a weighted average of the masses of an element's isotopes.

Dr. Karmach

Can you…?

  • ☐ classify a scientific statement as a hypothesis, a law, or a theory?
  • ☐ classify matter as an element, a compound, or a mixture?
  • ☐ classify a property or a change as physical or chemical?
  • ☐ distinguish precision from accuracy in measured data?
  • ☐ name a sample's state from its shape and volume, and describe particle spacing and motion in each state?

If any box stays empty, the practice site has a drill for it. 🧪

Dr. Karmach

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