Fall, 1998
| Instructor: | Dr. Dennis R. Flentge |
| Office: | ENS 230E |
| Office Hours: | 9:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m., M, T, W, H, F or by appointment (call 7940) |
| Phone: | Office--(766)-7949 Home--766-5985 |
| E-mail: | flentged |
Fundamentals of General, Organic & Biological Chemistry, 2nd Edition, McMurray and Castellion, 1996(Required)
LECTURE TOPICS
| General Chemistry Matter, Energy & Measurement Atoms Chemical Bonds & Reactions Phases of Matter Solutions Kinetics & Equilibrium Acids & Bases Nuclear Chemistry | Organic Chemistry Alkanes, Alkenes, Alkynes Aromatic Compounds Alcohols, Phenols, Ethers & Halides Aldehydes & Ketones Carboxylic Acids and Esters |
GRADING
| Exams Quizzes Lab Reports | 70% 10% 20% | A 92.0-100% B 82.0-91.9% C 72.0-81.9% D 62.0-71.9% F 0-61.9% |
EXAMS
| Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Exam 4 Exam 5 Exam 6 | October 6 October 15 October 27 November 6 November 17 December 10 | Chapters 1-3 Chapter 4, 5 Chapters 6, 7 Chapters 8, 9 Chapters 10, 11 Chapter 12-17 |
ATTENDANCE
You are strongly encouraged to attend the class lectures but you are not required to do so except on quiz or exam days. Exams and quizzes must be taken at their scheduled times. Absences may be excused if a written explanation is provided and the instructor approves the explanation. You must complete your laboratory exercise during the scheduled time. Make-up labs will not be scheduled.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Some students have special classroom needs which hinder their performance. Some students have learning disabilities such as Attention Deficit Disorder while others face physical limitations. If you believe that you should receive special consideration when you take exams or complete other assignments, see Dr. Johnson in the Academic Assistance Center. She will review your documentation and will make a recommendation to me.
CALCULATOR
Each student should own a scientific calculator that uses exponential notation and logs.
SUCCESS IN CHEMISTRY
What do you feel are your chances of success in chemistry? I hope that you are optimistic about what you can accomplish this quarter. While the average chemistry course is not an easy ride to an A+, the course you are entering will not be overwhelming. This quarter, you should:
1. Gain an understanding of elementary inorganic and organic chemistry.
2. Develop a feeling for the role of chemistry in your life.
3. Earn a passing grade.
4. Develop an appreciation for God's role in science (generally) and in chemistry (specifically).
As you can readily see, achieving these goals is not possible without your cooperation. Perhaps the following suggestions will aid you in being successful this quarter.
1. Maintain a positive attitude. This is an arbitrary act of the will. No one can make you have a bad attitude without your permission. Remember, someone is watching you and your attitude could help that person through a tough spot, or it could drag him or her down to defeat.
2. Be diligent in your study habits (Proverbs 14:23a, Colossians 3:23,24). If you will set aside time each day to study chemistry, you will find the lectures more helpful, and will need less time to cram as an exam approaches. Two hours of study time for each hour of class time is a reasonable goal to set for yourself. It's what I expect.
(Items 3-11 deal with note-taking.)
3. Allow a 3-inch margin on the right side of the page. (Draw a line, if necessary, to remind yourself not to take notes in that area.)
4. Take notes on the left side of the page. Do not crowd your notes.
5. Review you class notes ASAP (as soon as possible). As you review:
a. Generate questions about each segment of notes.
b. Add information that you did not have time to include during the lecture. [This is especially useful when you have copied a step-by-step solution to a problem but could not include the oral justification for each step.]
6. View your notes as a set of answers looking for questions to be asked. (Have you heard of Jeopardy? ?) Write down your questions in the margin. The inability to ask questions about a certain topic may mean you lack information about, or adequately understanding of, that topic. Put a "?" by these areas, and consult your text and/or professor for clarification.
7. Set a goal of being able to ask questions to yourself in class. This can lead to the development of an awareness of what you not understand during the lecture. Then you can immediately ask the professor to elaborate.
8. Write information in your notes even if the professor is not writing on the board or overhead projector. This will keep you alert and may provide important information for later use. In problem-solving situations, the professor's description of the solution is as important as the written steps themselves.
9. Write on only one side of the sheet. This leaves the back of the previous page for additions to, or comments on, the notes.
10. Number your pages. If you use a loose-leaf notebook, the numbering allows quick reorganization should the pages get scrambled. Homework, handouts, and study guides can be easily added to the notes if you use a loose-leaf notebook. I personally prefer them to spiral notebooks. Another advantage to numbering comes when you study for exams--you know that you only have 5 (or 7, or whatever) pages left. That gives you a finite goal to reach.
11. Don't be afraid to supplement your notes from your reading and your discussions with others.
12. Be willing to ask questions in class when you do not understand the concept being discussed. You will rarely be the only one who needs help.
13. Be willing to come by my office (ENS 230E) for an explanation you feel would be too lengthy to get in class, or simply to get your thought patterns straightened out. (You may come by to visit if you wish. I promise not to bite.)
14. Study with friends. Research at Texas A&M University has shown that groups of three are especially effective. This works best when you have studied the material alone first.
15. Learn the meaning of each term in each equation you memorize, and learn when each equation can be used. This is most easily achieved by solving problems that use the equations.
16. Begin the study of each new chapter by skimming through it. Read section headings, the first paragraph of each section, etc. Next, look at the study guide and read the homework questions and problems at the end of the chapter. This will give you an idea of what to look for as you study the chapter in greater detail.
17. As you read each section, note key concepts and statements, carefully follow explanations in problems being solved, take note of terms and statements in boldface type, and write down questions as they arise. After reading a section, close your book and write a brief summary of what you have read. Then check your summary against the text to see if you omitted any important items. Read the section before it is discussed in class.
18. Begin answering homework questions and solving problems ASAP. Try to answer each question without consulting the text. If you cannot do so, study the appropriate section carefully and then try again. Continue this process until you get the correct solution. Solving problems with your book and notes closed is an excellent way to simulate exam conditions.
19. Develop a systematic method for solving problems. If you do not have a method now, consider the following steps.
a. List all relevant information given in a problem.
b. List quantities to be calculated.
c. Ask yourself what equations, theorems or laws connect what is known to what is unknown. Also determine how many steps are required to make the connection.
d. Apply relevant equations to calculate the unknown from the known.
20. Remember that learning is an active process. Achievement requires effort! If you want to succeed in chemistry--and at Cedarville College--you must apply yourself. Chemistry is not a spectator sport!
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Dennis Flentge was born and reared near the central Texas town of Rosebud (pop. 2000). He attended a two-room country school through fifth grade and then transferred to the Rosebud school district. At Texas Lutheran College, he majored in chemistry and minored in mathematics. In 1969 he entered Texas A&M University to begin his graduate work in physical chemistry. After completing all of the courses, he took advantage of an opportunity to spend one year in the Center for Surface and Colloid Chemistry at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
To relieve a severe case of homesickness that he acquired shortly after his arrival in Belgium, he sought out a group of young people associated with Operation Mobilisation (OM). He wanted to find American companionship so he could discuss the important issues of the day such as who would win the Super Bowl. What he found was an international group of Christians who were spending a year in missionary training. After being around the group for several months, he noticed there was a substantial difference between his coworkers and this group of Christians. He also realized there was a difference between himself and the OM people. On February 8, 1973, he asked Jesus Christ to be his Savior.
He returned to Texas in September 1973 and completed the work on his Ph.D. In September 1974, he moved to Gainesville, Florida, to begin a one-year research job at the University of Florida. During that year he worked in the bus ministry of University Baptist Church and taught 6th grade math, algebra, and chemistry at Heritage Christian School. Perhaps the most significant event of that year was his introduction to Kathy Wise, an attractive young kindergarten teacher. They married on January 3, 1976.
After working for 8 months in a research position at Texas A&M, he and Kathy moved to Chattanooga to teach at Tennessee Temple University. Besides his college responsibilities, he taught Sunday School at the Highland Park Baptist Church and served as song leader in the deaf church. In 1978 he and Kathy became the proud parents of Keith Alan.
The family moved to Cedarville in 1980. In 1982, a second son, Klint William, was born. The family has been active in the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Xenia since 1980. Kathy enjoys sewing, painting, and reading. She has a special talent for teaching children and has been a dedicated homemaker for all of her married life. She serves as the administrative assistant for the School of Engineering, Nursing and Science at Cedarville College. Keith, a junior philosophy major at Cedarville College, likes basketball, tennis, running, art, cars, and guitars. Klint likes roller hockey, art, and playing drums.