General Chemistry 115
Dr. Stewart Michael Condren
Fall 2008

TEXT: Essentials of General Chemistry 2/e , Ebbing, Gammon, Ragsdale, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2006.

PREREQUISITES: MATH 117 or Equivalent.

DESCRIPTION: This course is a survey course in chemistry (for Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering majors). It involves the study of the fundamentals of chemistry with emphasis on bonding, intermolecular forces, properties of the elements, stoichiometry, physical states of matter, the periodic table, chemical equilibrium, chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, and the chemistry of materials.

GOALS: The course is designed to:

1. Teach the basic principles of the scientific method of reasoning.
2. Equip the student with basic techniques for analysis and interpretation of data.
3. Present the essential material for historical development of the science of chemistry as part of the entire picture of science.
4. Familiarize the student with mathematical development of laws suitable for scientific and/or engineering problems.
5. Acquaint the student with literature and research tools to recognize that an experimental science such as chemistry plays in our lives.
6. Teach students to appreciate that chemistry is all around them.

GRADING: Course grades will be based upon daily Demo Quizes, Graded Homework, Hour Exam, and Final Exam scores. There will be five (5) Hour Exams worth 100 points each and a Final Exam worth 200 points. There will also be an internet project worth 60 points. The graded homework will be worth a total of 140 points, 10 pts/week. To encourage on time attendance, a 5 point quiz will be given concerning the daily demontration. The percentage of the daily Demo Quizes will be worth 100 points toward the course grade. The course grade will be determined by your percentage of these 1000 points:

You are guaranteed the appropriate letter grade for the range within which your scores fall. For problems involving numeric calculations, ALL WORK, except simple arithmetic, must be shown to receive ANY credit. Partial credit will be given. All answers must be given to the proper number of significant figures. One point will be subtracted for each math error and for each answer given to the wrong number of significant figures (sig. fig.). Approved calculators may be used on exams. Your calculator should be capable of performing the following operations: ln x, e^x (or INV ln x), log x, 10^x, (or INV log x), y^x, sin x, cos x, tan x, and scientific notation. If your calculator is programmable and/or has a constant memory, you must be prepared to remove the battery at any time during the exam. Calculators capable of wireless communication are not approved for exams. Calculators will not be provided for an exam, and may not be shared. For an exam the calculator must be removed from its case and the case closed and placed on the floor before the exam begins. All calculators will be examined during the exam.

CHEATING: Cheating is defined for this class as the use of unauthorized material or assistance from other students during an exam. Cheating on an Hour Exam will result in an automatic failure in the course. In addition, the evidence will be submitted to the proper authorities for their action. Cheating on the Final Exam will result in a recommendation of dismissal from school.

All devices capable of wireless communication must be turned off and left in book bags, etc. during exams.

ASSIGNMENTS: You will be responsible for the definition of all the Important Terms in the chapters covered in this course. Each Hour Exam will have 5 definitions worth a total of 10 points. The Final Exam will have 10 definitions taken from the 25 previously asked. Therefore, each exam, including the Final, will be composed of 10% definitions. In addition, where applicable, you should be able to compare similarities and differences in such terms.

You will be responsible for all assigned Practice Problems at the end of each chapter covered in this course. Attempt as many of these Practice Problems as possible, selecting at least one from each topic heading, more than one for those topics with which you have difficulty. Assistance on any of these problems will be gladly provided during scheduled office hours or by special appointment (a listing of office hours appears at the end of this syllabus). These Practice Problems will not be collected. This assignment is for your benefit. The more problems you are able to work, the better prepared you will be for the exams.

A new part of this course is Graded Homework through WebCT. You can access WebCT from the course web page. Graded Homework is a major part of the course grade.

MAKEUPS: Makeup Exams will be given only under the following guidelines. The Makeup Exam will be more difficult than the in-class exam in order to equalize the time advantage given the student making up the exam. In order to be eligible to take a Makeup Exam, the student must make arrangements with the instructor before the next class meeting. Only under the most extenuating circumstances will any one student be allowed to make up more than one exam during a given semester. Failure to make arrangements during the specified time following the exam, or to appear for the Makeup Exam at the agreed upon time, will result in the student forfeiting the right for a makeup.

ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance is strongly recommended. Past experience has shown that students in my courses make better grades when they regularly attend class. To encourage attendance, the lowest Exam score will be dropped for those students with four or fewer absences. The other four Exams scores will be averaged to makeup for the dropped score.