Chemistry Formulas List

The study of science starts for everyone as a small trail in the woods of ignorance, but with effort and experience, that trail becomes our personal highway of knowledge and information, opening many possibilities. Albert Einstein, like everyone else, started out in the woods, and he showed that getting out is worth the effort, not just for him, but for all his knowledge did for Mankind. Science is not for everyone and few Einstein's exist. Sadly many get lost, confused and frustrated, giving up before they can utter their first "Eureka", as a gem of knowledge falls into place. Those "Eureka" moments can excite us to keep going down our particular path.

So the first step is to be motivated and want to know more.

The next important step is to pay attention to the definitions: something that is important in every area: in sports you must know the rules to play the game: it is same for science. Knowing the definitions clears up confusions, and applying them (solving problems) solidifies them. Eventually the scientific method and thinking become a way of life, and gives insight into many situations, even outside your particular area of expertise.

A structure emerges. For example, the life sciences and medicine rest upon biochemistry and pharmacology, which rests upon organic chemistry, and organic depends on physical chemistry. Physical chemistry rests upon physics, and mathematics is the logic that binds them all together.

Along the way there are many sidelines, too numerous to list here: new materials, nano-technology are two important and well known disciplines. Also various areas overlap into multi-discipline fields, like physical chemistry and organic (physical-organic chemistry); organic synthesis and chemical kinetics (organocatalysis), Inorganic and organic chemistry (organometallic chemistry): the list goes on and on.

Clearly no-one can become an expert in all of these areas. However a good foundation in the basic of physical science allows one to at least be in a position to appreciate the work of others in the many areas of scientific endeavor. You might end up as a lawyer, a social worker or in finance. A good background in science will help the lawyer argue his case of, say, patent violation; helps the social worker understand the side effects of medication a client might be taking, and allows the financier to make intelligent decisions about whether to invest in one mining company or another.

On the other hand, you might become a scientist which leads to many interesting careers.

Scientists and engineers

Science can be divided into two broad categories: fundamental science (research), and applying those ideas (engineering: also called Research and Development (R&D)). Today there are about ten times more engineers than there are scientists. It takes more effort and more people to take the fundamental ideas developed by a few, and turn them into technology that we use to improve our quality of life.

Think of the automobile industry. The internal combustion engine, based upon the Otto cycle was developed by a few (who showed it worked), and then many engineers took that basic idea and over the last hundred years developed the cars we have today.

To be a good engineer, you must start with the fundamentals and learn the basics before you can apply them.