Chemistry 161
General Chemistry
Chemistry 161-162 is a two-semester introductory chemistry course. There are five
lecture sections in this course. Four of these lecture sections are given on Monday,
Wednesday Thursday, for 55 minutes; a fifth section is given on Monday and Wednesday
evenings for 80 minutes. Each lecture section has associated with it a 55-minute recitation.
The lecture times are listed below.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 1:55-2:10 Beck Auditorium
Sections 1-9
Lecturers: Professors Darrin York and Francesca Guerra
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30-10:25 Hickman 101
Sections 12-17, 40, 41 Lecturer: Professor Donald Siegel
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:10-12:05 Hickman 138
Sections 18-29
Professor Geeta Govindarajoo
Monday, Wednesday 6:40-8:00 Beck Auditorium
Sections 30-37 Lecturer: Professor Paul Kimmel
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 12:15-1:10 Beck Auditorium
Sections 50-58
Lecturers: Professors Darrin York and Francesca Guerra
To get information on each individual section, use the following web address, and
then click the link for Chemistry 161 (fourth from the top).
http://sis.rutgers.edu/soc/#courses%3Fsubject%3D160%26semester%3D92012%26campus%
3DNB%26level%3DU
Textbook and Calculator
The textbook for this course is Rutgers Custom Edition of “Chemistry: Atoms First,”
First Edition by Burge and Overby. Lecture material and homework problems originate in
this book. The textbook package available in the bookstore includes the code necessary to
access the Connect online homework assignments.
You must have a non-programmable scientific calculator for use on exams and quizzes.
A scientific calculator has the capability of handling logarithms and scientific notation.
Sakai Website
All communication with students will be done on the Sakai website:
www.sakai.rutgers.edu. You should login to this website using your Rutgers netID and
password. If you are registered for the class, you should see a Chem 161 Fall 2012 tab on the
top of the page. Clicking on that tab will enable you to get to the course homepage, which
will have all relevant information.
There will be several tabs on the left side of the course homepage. The “Resources”
tab will contain files for the course syllabus and general course information (the file you’re
reading now). The syllabus will list the approximate textbook sections and relevant
problems for each lecture. Course announcements will be seen on the homepage or using the
“announcements” tab. You should check the Sakai site regularly for course announcements.
Online Homework
Part of your grade will be based on the Connect Online Homework, which will start
approximately two weeks after the beginning of the course. Instructions for accessing the
Connect assignment will be posted on Sakai. Each online assignment will have a due date
and time, which will be announced on the Sakai. There will be ample time to finish the
assignment by the due date/time, and no extensions will be given. It is your responsibility to
complete the assignments on time.
Grading
There will the three hourly exams, a final exam, online homework, and recitation
quizzes. Your grade will be based on the total point score, with the points allotted as
follows:
Three hourly exams
Final exam
Connect Online homework
Recitation quizzes
Total:
Percentage of total grade
45 (3 x 15)
30
12.5
12.5
100%
There will be 10 recitation quizzes given in the last 10 minutes of each recitation
except the first week and the weeks of the hourly exams. These quizzes will be based on
material covered in the lectures in the week prior to the quiz. The lowest two of these 10
quizzes will be dropped. Keep in mind that a missed quiz will count as a “zero”, and cannot
be made up. Thus, if a student misses two recitation quizzes, they will be the ones that are
dropped, and any further missed quizzes will receive a zero, which is then factored into the
quiz grade.
Your final grade will be based on your overall percentage, with the final scale to be
decided at the end of the course. An approximate idea of the grading scale would be:
A
B
C
D
F
>90%
80-89%
65-79%
50-64%
<50%
A grade of <35% on the final exam will result in an automatic F for a final grade.
Final Exam “Makeup” Rule
There will be a special grading policy on the final exam. This exam will be broken into
four designated sections: material from exam I, material from exam II, material from exam
III, and material from the end of the semester not covered on the hourly exams.
If a student scores higher on one or more of the final exam section than on the
corresponding hourly exam, then a substitution procedure becomes effective. In this
substitution procedure, one (and only one) of the hourly exam scores is substituted for the
higher final exam section score, and that substitution will be automatically chosen to be the
one that benefits most the student’s final grade (i.e., the final exam score that has the greatest
improvement relative to the hourly exam score). If a student misses an hourly exam and has
a valid acceptable reason, that student will be assigned a temporary zero for that exam, and
the final exam questions associated with that hourly exam will be substituted for the missed
exam. This will take the place of any makeup exams, which are not given.
Example: A student gets 76, 62, 80 on the first three hourly exams, and gets percentages
of 80, 78, 82 on the first three sections of the final exam. The biggest increase is the 2nd
exam—so that student would get a 78 substituted for 62 on the 2nd exam.
If a student misses an hourly exam without a valid acceptable reason, the zero on that
exam will remain. Valid reasons for absences include: illness or injury, severe weather,
Rutgers sponsored activity. In the case of Rutgers sponsored activities, students may apply
to take a conflict exam at a different time. Information on applying for the conflict exam will
be available on Sakai. Invalid reasons for absences include: family or other personal events,
non-Rutgers activities.
Absences
If you are absent for one of the 3 hourly exams, you should fill out a self-reported
absence form, available at sims.rutgers.edu/ssra. Assuming the reason is acceptable, you
will get a temporary zero on the exam, to be substituted later on the appropriate section of the
final exam, as described above.
If you are absent for any recitation quiz, you don’t have to do anything, since 2 of the
recitation quizzes are dropped. However, if you want to take that particular quiz, you can
consult your recitation instructor, who, at his or her discretion, may allow you to take a
makeup quiz.
Success in General Chemistry
There are no magic formulas or advice that guarantee good grades. Chemistry is a
physical science, meaning that there are many quantitative problems and concepts.
Therefore, competency in algebra is expected in order to be successful. However, it’s not
simply the mechanics of solving algebraic equations that is required. It’s the setup—
understanding the chemical principles and concepts—that often troubles students.
Chemical questions involve applying these principles in the correct mathematical context—
similar to word problems in algebra classes.
Chemistry is a cumulative discipline. This means that the principles learned in the
beginning of the class are used in future areas—the subject builds on an increasingly broad
foundation. If you don’t understand the foundation, the course will become increasingly
difficult to manage.
Common student remark: “I’ve spent hours reading each chapter of the book, and
still get a low grade.”
Response: Good studying does not mean just reading and memorizing. Good study
habits means reading and applying. You must strive to understand the underlying principles
and concepts. Then the application of the mathematical equations will come naturally.
You can’t learn to do problems by just reading the book. You have to actually do the
problems yourself.
Common student remark: “I’ve done the homework problems and still get a low
grade.”
Response: Have you really done the problems, or watched someone else do them?
Just reading a solutions manual, or having someone explain a problem, is not the same as
actually solving problems. There are no shortcuts—you learn to solve problems by actually
doing them. You should take a critical approach to problem solving. It’s not just
memorizing step-by-step recipes for solving a particular problem, but understanding the
principles on which that problem is based, so that when any similar problem occurs on a test,
you can apply these concepts successfully.
If You Need Extra Help
Office hours for all lecturers and recitation instructors will be posted on the
Resources tab of Sakai by the end of the first week of class. You can feel free to go to the
office hour of any lecturer or recitation instructor, not necessarily the ones in your section.
All lecturers and recitation instructors are committed to help you achieve success in the class.
You will find the use of office hours more helpful if you come in with specific
questions, not just a vague statement of not understanding. You should do your part in
trying your best to do the assigned problems, and if you have trouble, looking in the textbook
for examples, which are often similar to the assignments. Try to focus on the types of
problems or concepts which are unclear, and come into office hours with specific questions
about these problem areas.
Help is also available at the Rutgers Learning Center (rlc.rutgers.edu) and Math Science
Learning Centers (mslc.rutgers.edu). Check the appropriate websites for hours, location, and
phone numbers.
Contact Information
Course Coordinator and Lecturer
Darrin York
york@biomaps.rutgers.edu
848 445-5199
Course Administrator and Lecturer
Paul Kimmel
pkimmel@rutgers.edu
732 445-3264
Lecturers
Geeta Govindarajoo
ggovinda@rutgers.edu
732 445-6216
Donald Siegel
donald.siegel@rutgers.edu
732 445-5205
Francesca Guerra
fguerra@biomaps.rutgers.edu
732 445-3337