A Computer Algebra Approach to Solving Chemical Equilibria in General Chemistry

In this article, we report on a semester-long study of the incorporation into our general chemistry course, of advanced algebraic and computer algebra techniques for solving chemical equilibrium problems. The method presented here is an alternative to the commonly used concentration table method for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PRIMUS : problems, resources, and issues in mathematics undergraduate studies resources, and issues in mathematics undergraduate studies, 2012-05, Vol.22 (4), p.284-302
Main Authors: Kalainoff, Melinda, Lachance, Russ, Riegner, Dawn, Biaglow, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algebra
Chemistry
Chemists
College Students
Comparative Analysis
computer algebra
Computer Uses in Education
Equations (Mathematics)
equilibrium
General chemistry
Information Technology
Mathematics Education
Mathematics Instruction
Nonlinear equations
Problem Solving
Program Effectiveness
Student Attitudes
Teaching Methods
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Summary:In this article, we report on a semester-long study of the incorporation into our general chemistry course, of advanced algebraic and computer algebra techniques for solving chemical equilibrium problems. The method presented here is an alternative to the commonly used concentration table method for describing chemical equilibria in general chemistry. In order to test the impact of our method on student learning, we measured the performance of students who used the method. We designated a group of students in our course as the study group, followed their progress through the course, and compared them to other students learning with more traditional approaches. As discussed in the article, we see significant increases in the performance indicators.
ISSN:1051-1970
1935-4053
DOI:10.1080/10511970.2010.500647