Experimental design and scientific method

How can you do an experiment?  With a smile on your face!  Here’s how: (Updated 10-13-22)

  • Lab Safety:  Before you can do anything experimentally-oriented in a chemistry class, you need to learn how to keep from hurting yourself in the lab.  Spoiler alert:  It involves goggles.
  • Lab equipment:  What’s all that stuff in the lab?  Find out here!
  • Lab equipment ppt:  I’ve got a terrible secret: Not all of the equipment your teacber tells you about will actually be used in your labs.  Here’s a PowerPoint guide to the equipment that you’re most likely to actually use.  (Note to other educators:  C’mon, you know I’m right).
  • Scientific method:  How do scientists make discoveries?  It depends.  How do chemistry classes tell you that scientists make discoveries?  With the scientific method.  Learn how it works here!
  • Scientific Method PPT:  This is a bit different and probably easier to understand than the tutorial above.
  • Percent yield – error PPT:  What is percent yield?  What is experimental error?  Find out before you get too far with this chemistry stuff.
  • Properties of matter PPT:  I honestly had no idea where else to put it, so here’s this PowerPoint.  I hope you find it OK.
  • Elements, compounds, and mixtures PowerPoint:  Let’s look at some simple things to get started!
  • How to win science fair:  Be the envy of your nerdy friends and win a trip to somewhere obscure by winning the science fair!  Or, if you’d rather just survive the whole experience, this will work for that, too.
  • An introduction to chemistry:  The first chapter of the chemistry textbook (and textbook parody) that I never actually published.  Discusses the topics above, but is more in depth and funnier, too.

Supplemental videos:  These videos are all over at the amazing Crash Course YouTube channel.  I didn’t make these, though I wish I did.

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