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1: Chemistry, Matter, and Measurement

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    83047
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    The study of chemistry will open your eyes to a fascinating world. Chemical processes are continuously at work all around us. They happen as you cook and eat food, strike a match, shampoo your hair, and even read this page. Chemistry is called the central science because a knowledge of chemical principles is essential for other sciences. You might be surprised at the extent to which chemistry pervades your life.

    As you read each section in this and later chapters, work all of the examples and exercises. Practicing lots of problems is the best way to ensure that you have command of the subject material.

    • 1.1: What Is Chemistry?
      Chemistry is the study of matter and how it behaves. The scientific method is the general process by which we learn about the natural universe.
    • 1.2: The Classification of Matter
      Matter can be described with both physical properties and chemical properties. Matter can be identified as an element, a compound, or a mixture.
    • 1.3: Measurements
      Identify a quantity properly with a number and a unit.
    • 1.4: Expressing Numbers: Scientific Notation
      Large or small numbers are expressed in scientific notation, which use powers of 10.
    • 1.5: Expressing Numbers: Significant Figures
      Significant figures properly report the number of measured and estimated digits in a measurement. There are rules for applying significant figures in calculations.
    • 1.6: The International System of Units
      Recognize the SI base units. Combining prefixes with base units creates new units of larger or smaller sizes.
    • 1.7: Converting Units
      A unit can be converted to another unit of the same type with a conversion factor.
    • 1.8: Chapter Summary
      To ensure that you understand the material in this chapter, you should review the meanings of the bold terms in the following summary and ask yourself how they relate to the topics in the chapter.
    • 1.E: Exercises
      These are adapted from the homework exercises to accompany Chapter 1 of the Ball et al. "The Basics of GOB Chemistry" Textmap. Many changes have been made to tailor the questions to Mueller's CHEM 109 courses at USC-Upstate.


    1: Chemistry, Matter, and Measurement is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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