Chem Midterm Flashcards
(123 cards)
What are atoms?
Very small particles that are the fundamental building blocks of matter
What are molecules?
Tiny particles that are composed of atoms & can consist of two or more atoms bonded together.
What do atoms form?
Molecules
What are chemical bonds?
The attachments that hold atoms together that can be ionic, covalent, or metallic
__________ are tiny particles that compose all common matter.
Atoms
What do water molecules consist of?
3 atoms bonded together:
-1 oxygen
-2 hydrogen
What does chemistry explain?
The properties and behavior of chemicals in the molecules that compose them
Who said “all things are made of atoms “?
Richard Feynman
What is the scientific method?
The way that scientists learn about the natural world. It involves observations, laws, hypotheses, theories, and experimentation.
What is the first step of the scientific method?
Observation
What is observation?
An observation must measure or describe something about the physical world
What is chemistry?
The science that tries to understand how matter behaves by studying how atoms and molecules behave
What are observations?
Observations involve measuring or observing some aspect of nature
What are hypotheses?
Hypotheses are tentative interpretations of the observations
What are laws?
Laws summarize the results of a large number of observations
What are theories?
Models that explain and give the underlying causes for observations and laws
What must hypothesis, laws, and theories be tested and validated by?
Experiment
What happens if I hypotheses are not confirmed?
They are revised and tested through further experimentation
Can some observations be made with the naked eye?
Yes
What do observations usually involve?
The measurement or description of some aspect of the physical world
What is the mass of an object measured by?
By the quantity of matter within it
Who made an observation about the physical world that measured the property of mass in the process of combustion?
Antoine Lavoisier
What is a hypothesis?
An explanation of the observations
What does it mean when a good hypothesis is falsifiable?
It means that further testing has the potential to prove it wrong