According to the American Chemical Society, chemistry is the study of matter- its composition, properties, and how it changes. It touches every aspect of our lives and hence is essential for us. It is necessary for meeting our needs of food, clothing, shelter, and other elements of existence. It’s the study of molecules and how they change. Thus, chemistry is involved in almost every aspect of our lives. For the majority of students, chemistry is indeed a hard subject as it demands some skills. These include problem-solving and memory skills. Though the subject is not complex if studied with the right strategy and technique. We wll discuss that is chemistry hard to learn or not.
What Is Chemistry? – Is Chemistry Hard?
Chemistry is the branch of natural sciences that deals with matter and its changes. Everything that you hear, see, touch, smell, and taste involves chemistry. Chemistry tells us the properties of matter and gives us insight into why they undergo specific changes and how. Nearly everything in the universe can be broken down into molecular building components. Hence chemistry has an impact on everything we do.
- Qualitative And Quantitative
There are two forms of chemistry: qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative chemistry is concerned with creating new compounds, whereas qualitative chemistry is concerned with the microscopic level of atoms and molecules.
- The Science Of Discovery
In chemistry, people both discover and create new elements. Following that, they research the characteristics of both artificial and natural components. This aids them in comprehending how something came to be, which in turn aids us in unraveling different mysteries.
- Makes The World A Better Place
The knowledge given by chemistry helps us understand the world. When we know the why’s and how’s of something, we can make it better. For example, chemistry is responsible for improving energy resources and many other things that make the world a better place.
- Chemistry Is A Physical Science
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, chemistry is classified as a physical science since it does not include living things. However, biochemistry is an exception, as we study and investigate live things in it. Biochemists study substances and processes that aren’t properly considered “living” in chemistry.
What Does Chemistry Teach You?
Organic and inorganic chemistry are the two sections of chemistry that you will study about. Organic chemistry is regarded as a complex subject. It’s an enthralling field since it exposes so much about our planet. It is critical to prepare us for life in the real world.
It is also a central science in mathematics, biology, physics, and environmental sciences. Chemistry is essential because it gives a solid foundation for comprehending the physical universe we live in. It gives you insights into various physical and biological phenomena. Everything is chemical, for better or worse!
10 Reasons Why Chemistry Is So Hard
Let’s take a closer look at why chemistry is so hard. Below listed are 10 reasons why is chemistry so hard:
- Chemistry Is Branched. Chemistry is divided into five sections, each of which is distinct and subjective in its own way. Chemistry includes inorganic, organic, biochemical, analytical, and physical sciences. All these parts consist of their own variation and knowledge, different from the rest. This makes chemistry a hard subject.
- Good Intellectual Level. Learning chemistry would take a significant amount of mental effort. You must engage in critical thinking, develop themes, decipher the information, and finally comprehend it to its core. This may be not easy since not everyone has a high intellectual level.
- Time Consuming. You’ll need time to look over everything thoroughly and carefully. Many aspects of chemistry need time. You must devote a significant amount of effort to learning and grasping it. You must take notes, interpret everything, and then memorize it, which is a complicated process.
- Its Own Vocabulary. Chemistry has its own vocabulary. Until and unless you are familiar with the language of chemistry, its terms and all, you won’t understand it. There are around 118 elements, different equations and a unique language used, which is hard to learn.
- Your Thinking Matters. Your thinking makes the most difference. If you think something is hard and you can’t handle it, then you definitely won’t. If you put your mind to doing something, no one could stop you from being good. You may need to do a lot of hard work, but your perspective would help you in the long run.
- Consistency Is The Key. Being consistent is very hard, and for learning chemistry, you have to be consistent. You have to work on the subject every day, solve problems, decipher equations and more. If you are consistent, you can always solve any problem, however hard it may seem. It is vital to know the concepts by heart and not memorize the solutions.
- Management Of Time. You must give plenty of time to chemistry because it has more subjects within, but you can not just focus on one subject. The syllabus that you have to cover is vast, and only paying attention to one of them will not let you pass the exams. Time management is critical, and many fail to do it.
- Reading Constantly. Reading and highlighting the essential points is the key to learn chemistry efficiently. Actively reading the textbook is very important. This could be a challenge for someone who doesn’t like to read. Reading is equally crucial like understanding anything, and many fail to understand that.
- Note Making Is Essential. How you make notes and organize your study material is indeed important. This would narrow down your syllabus, and the subject would not seem such complicated. But people see it as a burden and extra work, which is wrong.
- It’s Cumulative In Nature. Chemistry uses information in many chapters. It keeps on increasing the difficulty and content of the subject. So, if you mess up in the early stage, then you might not catch up later. When things pile up, you will have more problems understanding the subject.
The Right Way To Study Chemistry
Chemistry is a subject that one may either love or despise for the rest of one’s life. Therefore, the only determining factor is how you study it. The right approach will make it enjoyable and straightforward, but the wrong approach will make you dread it.
The following are some effective strategies to study chemistry such that it appears less challenging:
- Know About The Subject. There is no way to avoid chemistry if you don’t understand it beforehand. To study chemistry, you must have a passion for science. Do your homework and tasks, know what you’re working with, and then go on. It is not an easy subject, but it will become less hard if you know what that subject offers to tell you.
- Prepare The Class Beforehand. You should know what the teacher is going to teach before entering the class and be prepared. Learn and review everything you learned in the last lesson, and be ready to learn more. You should check your notes before going to class so that you can clear up any questions and avoid drowning in a sea of problems.
- Seek To Comprehend. Chemistry has lots of ideas and chapters that are tough. Some concepts are such that you can’t memorize them; only when you have a sound understanding of its fundamentals you can cope. Please don’t dwell on memorizing anything, but try to focus on its root and understand it. Avoid any cramming; otherwise, you won’t ever find the subject easy.
- Take Notes. Taking notes is very important. Attend classes regularly and make good notes. This would narrow down your syllabus, and the content would become understandable. It forces you to write down formulas and concepts that enhance your chances of understanding them. Note making and then reviewing it would tell you what you don’t understand and what you did. Everything becomes easy once you wrote it down.
- Practising Regularly. You are not allowed to leave for even a single day. Chemistry is a subject that requires a lot of practice daily. You must study it regularly and go through your homework. It would be best if you also made a habit of finishing your assignments and taking notes regularly. Working on problems daily would reveal your knowledge and subject understanding, so do practice daily.
- It Would Help if You Used Flashcards. Using flashcards is not a way out, but it sure makes your work easier. Chemistry is chock-full of scientific symbols, formulae, and its lingo. You may buy or create your own flashcards to make learning easier. It is more effective and simpler to organize your syllabus before focusing on remembering it. It’s a fun activity that will also lift your mood.
- Study In Groups. Group study is yet another helpful way to study any subject. When you study with your peer, it becomes exciting, and the sheer urge to do better than the rest would take you ahead. Study groups allow the students to come prepared and then exchange their thoughts and understanding with each other. You get to share notes, exchange study material, and learn new methods to study chemistry, making it easier.
- Give Everything That You Have. We know that chemistry is hard, and to make it easier, one must jump in with both feet and give his hundred per cent. If you won’t try your level best and make partial efforts, then you are doomed to fail the subject. It is a challenging subject, so you must take it as a challenge. Decide and organize yourself first, get ready to give it your all, and start working.
- Break Down Your Study Material. While studying chemistry, try breaking it down into small pieces to make it easy for you to grasp the concepts. When you see a massive pile of syllabus and fundamentals, your mind would tell you not to study. Breaking it down into smaller pieces would fool your mind into doing something you won’t do before.
- Don’t Worry About Grades. If all you care about is your grades, you will never learn anything. Your grades will automatically improve if you concentrate on learning chemistry. There are no shortcuts, so if all you think about is your grades, you’ll never have enough. Your scores will improve if you learn it rather than cramming for exams.
Conclusion
Chemistry indeed is a challenging subject, but not when you know how to tackle it. If you follow the correct process and have the right approach, nothing would be tough. Chemistry is an important subject, and you must study it by heart. Chemistry helps you to develop strong analytical and memorizing skills that help you in the long run. Remember that nothing is impossible when you have the will.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Do You Mean By Chemistry? Chemistry is the study of matter-its structure, composition, properties and transformation.
- Is Chemistry important? Chemistry is a very important subject if you want to have a career in science. It is the most challenging science that requires the most attention. Everything that you do is chemistry, and hence it becomes essential to study.
- What do you learn in Chemistry? Chemistry teaches you many valuable skills and reveals so much about the world. It helps you understand the current events and past events and prepare you for future events. You get to learn about technology and your environment, which is very useful.
- Is Chemistry hard in college or school? It is hard in college as the level increases. But, if you won’t study it in school properly, then it would be equally hard in school. This would also result in making the subject harder in college.
- What are the careers in Chemistry? There are many career opportunities in Chemistry. You can become a Hazardous waste chemist, academic researcher, geochemist, forensic scientist, chemistry teacher, mechanical scientist, chemical engineer, clinical scientist, nanotechnologist, toxicologist, analytical chemist, water chemist etc. You can choose among many careers as per your choice and preference.
