1.4 Problem-solving in chemistry And just problem-solving in general…
Skills used in problem-solving “Effective problem-solving involves developing a plan and then implementing that plan (28).”
Solving numeric problems Analyze Calculate Evaluate
ANALYZE Where are you starting from? Where are you going? KNOWN, or GIVEN information Equations? Where are you going? UNKNOWN information What units should the answer be in? How to I get there? Do I need to find a number/value first before I continue? When all else fails, draw it.
CALCULATE Execute the plan Do I need to re-arrange an equation first Plug and Chug
EVALUATE Is the answer reasonable? Is it near the values I should expect? Did I fully answer the entire question? Do I have the right units? Do I have the right amount of significant figures? (Will go over in later chapters)