CHEM 1015 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Subatomic Particle, Atomic Nucleus, Feedback
MacLean 1
CHEM 1015 Week 1 Outline
Madeline J. MacLean
Chemicals
● Chemistry: study of matter and the changes that matter undergoes
● Matter: anything that has mass and occupies space
● Chemicals compose everything!
Scientific Method
● The scientific method is a set of general guidelines used by all scientists while
approaching experiments
● The steps of the scientific method:
○ Step 1: observation
■ Use measurements to form a data set
○ Step 2: hypothesis
■ Predictions that give a guess as to what they are observing
○ Step 3: experiments
■ Change one variable at a time and test the hypothesis
○ Step 4: revise
■ If experiment disproves the original hypothesis then repeat steps 2-4
● Feedback loop
○ Step 5: theory
■ Explains and predicts behavior
● Must be consistent with all data collected from experiments
Atoms & the Origin of the Nuclear Model
● Elements are composed of atoms
● An atom is the smallest quantity of matter that still retains the properties of matter
● An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances
○ Although we can separate a sample of any element into smaller samples of
that element, we cannot separate it into other substances
● We cannot separate an atom into smaller samples
○ Matter changes
● John Dalton was the first to formally theorize atoms in the nineteenth century
○ Matter is composed of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms
■ However, we now know that atoms are not indivisible; they are made
up of subatomic particles
○ All atoms of a given element are identical
Document Summary
Chemistry: study of matter and the changes that matter undergoes. Matter: anything that has mass and occupies space. The scientific method is a set of general guidelines used by all scientists while approaching experiments. Use measurements to form a data set. Must be consistent with all data collected from experiments. Atoms & the origin of the nuclear model. An atom is the smallest quantity of matter that still retains the properties of matter. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. Although we can separate a sample of any element into smaller samples of that element, we cannot separate it into other substances. We cannot separate an atom into smaller samples. John dalton was the first to formally theorize atoms in the nineteenth century. Matter is composed of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms. However, we now know that atoms are not indivisible; they are made up of subatomic particles.
