The Science of Life Lecture Series

One thing to know about Chemistry -- and all of science -- is that unless one group of scientists are intentionally trying to experimentally confirm the results of a specific experiment done by another group of scientists, no two scientists typically approach the same question the same way.  Even as this may be the case, all scientists are using the same general scientific method.  The scientific method is the backbone of all scientific experiments and gathering of all scientific knowledge.  In very much the same way all humans look pretty similar (but not exactly the same), the scientific method makes it so the experiments that two different scientists perform on the same concept with look similar, but not exactly the same. When we run an experiment, we start by collecting information.  How do things change if I slowly change this parameter only?  How about if I change that parameter only?  Now that I have the previous two questions answered, now let...

Hello internet, and welcome to the Algebra Lecture Series from The Science of Life.  This entry is focusing on conversion of units that you'll see in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and all of science. Unit Conversion The previous Physics section allows us a mechanism to convert from one unit to another unit of the same type.  To do this, we take advantage of the equivalence between two values, and multiply with what is effectively equivalent to one.  For example, notice that 1hr=60min.  If we divide both sides by 1hr, we get $\frac{1hr}{1hr}=\frac{60min}{1hr}$.  In all of science, units such as seconds, meters, and kilograms can be canceled if in a quotient or squared if multiplied together, much like variables.  With that in mind, notice that on the left hand side, the hours cancel and the ones cancel, so that we have $1=\frac{60min}{hr.}, which makes sense since there are 60 minutes per hour.  This general concept applies to all conversion facto...

Hello internet, and welcome to the introduction to Chapter 1 of General Chemistry.  This chapter is going to set you up for success in chemistry in general, as it will be well used in all chemistry courses.  Most of this chapter will also be used in all of science, but there will be parts which are chem-centric. Chemistry is the study of the materials of the universe and the changes which those materials undergo.  One of the joys of chemistry is seeing how the principles of chemistry applies to all aspects of everyday life, from cooking and burning of gasoline (petrol for my European readers) on the individual level to the development of medications and the growing of crops on the far-reaching end. This first chapter lays down the foundation required for success in any science in general and chemistry in particular.  This includes fundamentals of chemistry, matter, and scientific measurements.  Keep in mind that the information in this lecture series ...

In science, there are many numbers which are either exceedingly large (for example, the number of water molecules in a liter of water) or exceedingly small (for example, the charge, in Coulombs, of a single electron).  This is the nature of the reality we live in.  This is why, in some cases, it is easier to read and right these extremely small and large values in a more compact notation.  Yes, this does somewhat reduce accuracy, but the loss of accuracy has very little baring on the accuracy of the final answer.  The most common compact notation in Social Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences is called Scientific Notation . The notation for Scientific Notation is $N \times 10^{n}$, where N is a number which is at least 1 but less than 10 $[1 \le N < 10]$ and n is the magnitude of the number.  There are a couple steps to convert to scientific notation: Place a decimal point in between the first two significant digits of the number. Find the m...

This is a natural continuation of Chapter 1 Section 2 .  When we make models, we need to make sure that, when we run the numbers, the dimensions of the solution naturally make sense.  The word "dimension" in physics means something more general than the definition we are used to here in every day life.  We typically think of dimensions as length, width, and height; we do live in a three dimensional world, after all.  The word dimension in science means the units that we are working with.  This could be Distance (like length of a box), or is could be time (duration of a trip), or it could be mass (I weigh 15 stone).  The dimensions of density are kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m 3 ). When these dimensions are used in mathematical equations, they are treated as if they are variables we've seen in Algebra ; they can be canceled and squared like any other value in mathematics.  For example, if we have a room that is 20ft.×30ft.×15ft, then we multiply...

This material comes from Chapter 1 Section 2 of the Newtonian Physics Lecture Series. If we cannot interact with matter directly, or if we want to make a prediction of a system before we build the system to test it, we draw up a model of the system related to the phenomenon in question.  Chemistry is a good example of this.  We cannot observe the molecules directly with our eyes, so we model the reaction with the known laws of physics and chemistry. Using these models, we predict the behaviors and results of the chemical reaction based upon the interactions between the components of the system or between the system and its surroundings.  The words "system" and "surroundings" will come up in this lecture series and have specific definitions, so I may as well define them now.  The "system" is everything under direct study in the moment we are studying it.  The surroundings are everything outside of the system, but still have an affect on th...

Before we get into actual Physics, commentary must first be made about the foundations of all science, including physics.  The fundamental basis for all physics is the concept of units.  After all, when I say "The speed is 6", that is meaningless.  Am I talking about m/s, km/hr., miles/hr, knots?  Which units am I using? There is a system of measurement which has been around for centuries, but has been globally standardized for use in science since 1960 .  This system is called the Système international from the French, who was the first to widely adopt the concept shortly after their Revolutionary War against Britain.  The shorthand for this system is SI, and the fundamental units it uses for classical mechanics is the meter, the second, and the kilogram.  There are other fundamental units in Classical Physics, but those deal with either electricity or waves, and since those are covered in their own separate semesters, I'll cover those fundam...

This is the introduction to chapter 1 of the Physics 180 Lecture Series, which will cover some of the basics required to succeed in full understanding of the subject of, well, any scientific subject, but for the purposes of this series, the success in Physics.   After all, physics is based on experimental observations which are used to derive mathematical formulation.  The main objective of the field of physics is to identify a limited amount of fundamental physical laws of nature and derive from those laws theories that can be used to predict the results of future experiments.  However, whenever experiment disagrees with theory, the theory must always be either altered or thrown out. Isn't that right Feynman? This physics course deals with what is called "Classical Physics", which is the physics of normal, everyday objects of normal, everyday sizes and masses, traveling at normal, everyday speeds.  Some text books (the one which I am referring for this ...

This is going to be the section which will cover Physics 180 - Newtonian Mechanics.  This is the physics of the macroscopic world, the world that most of us can see, touch, hear, taste, and smell.  Most physics define Newtonian Physics as the physics which has been discovered by 1900, but this feels too arbitrary for me.  The reason why it's the physics which has been discovered by 1900 is because we as a species have discovered the entirety of the physics of the macroscopic world by 1900, while the rest of physics (waves mechanics, Relativity, Quantum Physics, etc.) has yet to be discovered by this year.  With that in mind, while the "discovered by 1900" is an accurate definition as a time separator between the Newtonian and non-Newtonian classes, I still prefer the physical definition over the discovery date definition. When I speak of the physics of the macroscopic world, I am speaking of the motions of these objects and the energy and forces associated ...