Chemistry On Roll..

Guys! don't you all think that our brilliant should get patched up with Chemistry as well because i miss chemistry only in this network home!!?

#FeatureRequests #Opinions

Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

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Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `$` ... `$` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

Comments

Can you put a few problems here that you'd like to see in a Chemistry section?

Silas Hundt Staff - 7 years, 9 months ago

Okay, here are a couple of Chemistry problems I made.

1) Brilli the Ant encountered an unidentified gas while working in the lab. She can't progress further with her researches if she doesn't identify that gas. She ran some tests and found out that the effusion rate of that unidentified gas is equal to $80$ $\text{cm}$ $^3$ $\text{s}$ $^{-1}$ . She did the same experiment with another gas with a molar mass of $40$ grams and got $45$ $\text{cm}$ $^3$ $\text{s}$ $^{-1}$ as the effusion rate. What is the molar mass (in grams) of the unidentified gas?

[Details & assumptions: you can assume that the gases are ideal. Both the experiments were done under the same conditions]

2) Mursalin's friend gave him a $7$ gram sample of $\text{K}$ $_2 \text{CO}$ $_3$ and challenged him to find the amount of impurities in there. Mursalin dissolves the $\text{K}$ $_2 \text{CO}$ $_3$ in a $500$ $\text{cm}$ $^3$ solution. Then he puts a strip of blue litmus paper in the solution and keeps adding $\text{HCl}$ until the litmus changes color. He realizes that he used a $1212$ $\text{cm}$ $^3$ $\text{HCl}$ solution with a concentration of $0.1$ $\text{M}$ to completely neutralize the solution. What was the mass (in grams) of the impurities in the $\text{K}$ $_2 \text{CO}$ $_3$ sample?

[Details and assumptions: the impurities don't react with $\text{HCl}$ .

Use the following atomic masses, $\text{K}=39$ grams, $\text{C}=12$ grams and $\text{O}=16$ grams.]

Mursalin Habib - 7 years, 9 months ago

The thing is, these problems are similar to the kind you would get in a traditional class setting, which is not what the mathematics and physics problems in Brilliant and elsewhere want to achieve. Those problems are about taking what you know and applying them to different situations and problems, while these problems are really just rewordings of the same kind of problems you'll solve in an intro-level chemistry class.

Michael Tong - 7 years, 9 months ago

Your first question is incorrectly worded I guess. I am sure while you prepared that question, you had Graham's law of Diffusion on your mind but don't you need to specify that both the experiments are performed under identical conditions? There is a nice application of Graham's law on separation of uranium isotopes, a question can be easily made on that.

I haven't checked out the second question but it looks to me as a standard titration question which can be easily found out in books.

Anyways, nice try Mursalin! :)

Pranav Arora - 7 years, 9 months ago

@Pranav Arora – Yes, the first problem is about Graham's law of diffusion and both the experiments were performed under identical conditions. That's what I meant when I wrote the 'same experiment'. I guess I wasn't clear enough. I'm adding that to the assumptions-section.

The second problem, as you said, is a standard titration problem. I'm pretty sure the guys at Brilliant can come up with a lot better problems than I did (making problems is hard!). I just presented two sample problems. I also rushed them so I admit they could have been better.

I'd love it if Brilliant starts a Chemistry section. And I think a lot of people would agree with me (I've seen a lot of discussion threads about this).

Your feedback, as always, is appreciated.

Mursalin Habib - 7 years, 9 months ago

Yea the reason I don't see Chemistry becoming a section is that it's very hard to have the same "olympiad level" quality questions that reward problem solving rather than extensive theorem knowledge in Chemistry as compared to Math and Physics (and to some extent, comptuer science).

Michael Tong - 7 years, 9 months ago

Yeah,we don't have much challenging problems in chemistry.In chemistry,if you have the theory,you are the god.So,we can't actually call chemistry challenging.

Priyatam Roy - 7 years, 9 months ago

That's not correct to say. If it isn't challenging, why in the world ICHO would take place?

Pranav Arora - 7 years, 9 months ago

Well, not exactly. Though chemistry is full of theories , we can't give it a " not challenging " title . Chemistry is indeed interesting .

Though the problem comes when we have to think what type of questions we'll be able to put on the website . Like - problems based on numericals are easy to ask but not theoretical questions related to bonding ...

Priyansh Sangule - 7 years, 9 months ago

Are you serious? i did'nt know that. Is it really different with physics? like what you said ",if you have the theory,you are the god."

Hafizh Ahsan Permana - 7 years, 9 months ago

Completely agree, love my Chemistry, that would be great!

Alex Benfield - 7 years, 9 months ago

To me, the inorganic chemistry is totally a no-no, as it is anti-conceptual, whereas the mechanisms of organic chem. and esp. physical have sudden twists, where concepts come into play, which are a fun to deal with. But to me, chemistry would require different kind of interface, which is rather a huge drawback, as compared to the intuitive interface provided by Brilliant. I hate to admit it, but as compared to maths, physics & programming; I am rather weak in chemistry. So, I will pass.

Arnab Animesh Das - 7 years, 9 months ago

yes!!!!!!!!

Goutam Narayan - 7 years, 9 months ago

I think that's a great idea! I can definitely use some chemistry problem-solving training for when I take AP!

Joshua Siktar - 7 years, 9 months ago

I sorta half agree and half disagree.. i agree because i think it's nice to expand brilliant further and get more students on here.. i disagree because chemistry is a branch of physics, and the site doesn't seem to really want specific branches of physics having their own section on here.. there is no astrophysics or quantum mechanics section.. so i think it'd be weird to introduce a 'physics of electrons' or 'chemistry' section

Jord W - 7 years, 9 months ago

I feel as if chemistry is emphasized enough in academic settings that it deserves its own category, even if it is technically a subfield of physics.

Joshua Siktar - 7 years, 9 months ago

fair enough, not for me tho :)

Jord W - 7 years, 9 months ago

Sorry to say, but U r flawed in one of your lines. Chemistry is no way a branch or subfield of physics!

Swapnil Das - 6 years, 1 month ago

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$