Product Review: SEOH 1000ml Graduated Glass Erlynmeyer Flask

 

This is a pretty basic graduated Erlenmeyer flask. The only thing to note is that the opening is pretty wide so if you plan on getting one to use the old baking soda-vinegar balloon trick for a chemistry or thermodynamics class, this will not work for that. For anything else you may need one for, however, this will be fine assuming you need one with this much capacity.

Product Review: Plastic Graduated Cylinder

 

I needed one for a Thermodynamics project. It is nothing fancy, just a plastic cylinder with measurement markings. It arrived quickly and in good condition. It is probably not something I will ever use again, getting it at a much better price than a glass equivalent was great. I am very satisfied with it.

Study Aid Review: The Chemistry 1 Tutor: Volume 4 - Oxidation and Reduction Reactions

 

This is the fourth volume in Jason's Chemistry 1 series, which is designed to cover the first semester of General Chemistry. If you are taking Introduction to Chemistry (or non-AP high school chemistry) what you get in the 4 volumes will cover pretty much the entire class. If you are taking the General Chemistry class (or AP chemistry in high school) you will get about 70-75 percent of what you will get in the first semester. The main topics that Jason omitted are the ideal gas laws and thermochemistry. Those are topics that may be covered in later releases.

This particular set of DVDs covers redox (oxidation, reduction) reactions. As is Jason's style in all of his DVDs, he only presumes you have the knowledge of the material that proceeds what you are working on. In this case, you need to be very familiar with net ionic equations and Stoichiometry. Aside from that he presumes you are an absolute beginner with redox reactions and walks you through step-by-step, explaining everything he is doing along the way to drill the material into your head. You end up doing so many examples that you have no choice but to learn how to balance the reactions.

The best part of the set in my opinion is how he explains the problems that require you to balance reactions taking place in a basic solution. His method is a workaround to the method that many books teach, which builds on the process of balancing reactions in an acidic solution by tacking on three additional steps at the end. Many books teach an alternate step in the middle of the process that then requires you to do a lot more work to get everything to balance. You will want to get an idea for what method your teacher wants you to use, but most of the time if you get the right answer, they will not care how you got to it, as long as you show your work.

I have used Jason's material as the foundation for my preparation to get me through all levels of calculus and the first year of physics. Even though you have to pay for the DVDs as opposed to finding the material for free online, I believe that the quality of the material and Jason's teaching style is that good. If you are a visual learner and do not need the interaction you would get with a regular tutor, and want something that will get you a jump on the material or clarify what you did not understand in the lecture, then these DVDs are the best investment you can make.

Study Aid Review: The Chemistry 1 Tutor: Volume 3

 

This is a continuation of Jason's Chemistry 1 tutor video series. In this volume, Jason mostly deals with acid-base reactions and titrations. Like in all his other videos, he will give you an introduction to the subject, tell you what you already need to understand to get the material, and then does a lot of examples. The examples he gives range in difficulty level from fairly easy, to hard. He really does try to get you to understand the thought process in solving these types of problems and going from what you know to what you need to solve. He explains really well how you will sometimes have to essentially solve the problem backward to get to the correct answer, and explains why he is doing what he is throughout the problem.

The main reason I keep buying Jason's DVDs as opposed to just trying to find things on the internet, is because he really takes the time to break down problems step by step and give you the skills you need to solve problems. And you can take those skills to solve problems in the material he does skip. This set covers about another chapter or 2 (depending on how the book you are using is laid out). From what I can tell the only material that you will get exposed to in Chemistry I, that Jason does not cover in four volumes of the Chemistry 1 tutor are the ideal gas law material and the stuff on thermodynamics. Jason has however put out a physics DVD on thermodynamics that does cover a lot of that material. As people who have taken Chemistry and Physics know there is a lot of crossover between the subjects when it comes to the thermodynamics material. Hence, if you take chemistry first it will help at that point in physics, and if you take physics first it will help you in chemistry. So if you get that set and the 4 volumes of the Chemistry 1 tutor you will know most of what you are going to need for the first semester of General Chemistry. Some of the material on the physics DVD will not necessarily be covered in chemistry, but the basic ideas are.

If your learning style is compatible with learning from a DVD, then I highly recommend this set. The drawback of course is that you cannot interact and ask questions, so if that is something you need to learn you may have to go for in-person tutoring, but this is far better than trying to learn the material out of a book.

Study Aid Review: The Chemistry 1 Tutor: Volume 1

 

I am a huge believer in Jason's DVD sets. I stumbled across them a few years ago when looking for math supplements because I was returning to school after 12 years to get an engineering degree. With the aid of his DVDs, I have made it through all levels of calculus and a semester and a half of physics with a 4.0 GPA. I will be taking general chemistry next year and have started using this to get a jump on the concepts.

While the production style of Jason's DVDs has increased greatly (the first couple he put out was just his hand in front of a whiteboard), and now he has an entire studio he films in) his teaching style has remained the same. He assumes you know little to nothing about the actual subject. He just assumes that you have enough math knowledge to be taking the class, and works through the concepts breaking things down step by step.

What I love about his style is that he gives a bare-bones lecture and explains what you really know from the theory. He explains the subject without a lot of proofs or deriving of the formulas. He will occasionally derive formulas, but only when he thinks it is very helpful. Then he goes through several example problems and goes through them step by step so that you can follow the thought process. Which, as anyone who has taken a math or science class can tell you, knowing what to use and the process of how to use it are the most important things. He does a lot more spoon-feeding than your professor is likely to, and far more than the book ever will.

Some things to keep in mind. This is a supplement to, not a replacement for, going to class and doing homework. Even if you get all 4 volumes of his chemistry set, it is not likely going to cover all of what you are going to be exposed to in class. Given that chemistry books can be the size of a small phone book it is impossible to cram everything into one set. That is why he has been putting out multiple volumes since he started making DVDs full-time, but he still has to leave some out. The material in this volume will cover much of what you will get in regular high school chemistry (about 5 or 6 chapters) or the very basic chemistry class in college (the one that essentially crams a year of high school chemistry into one semester). If you are taking the class that is usually called General Chemistry in college (AP Chemistry in High school) however, this material will be covered early on in the class and in almost a review-like fashion in the first couple chapters of the book.

Jason picks the concepts that he feels are the most important ones to cover. I have noticed that many times the problems he works on are similar to what is asked on quizzes or tests, but not the only things that get asked say on a homework assignment. Similarly, he tends to show a range of problems from very easy, to moderately difficult. He usually does not show the hardest kinds of problems. So be aware that you may get homework problems, and sometimes even test problems more complex than what he shows here. But if you follow the strategies he gives for solving the problems you can usually figure out what to do one the harder ones.

The other thing I really like about these DVDs is that Jason follows the progression of the course. Yes, you can find lots of examples all over the internet of people doing problems, and I even look for those kinds of things when I am stuck on a problem if it is a type that Jason does not cover. But what Jason gives you here is like the pared-down lecture you would get in class in the order you will see the material presented. You can think of it as almost like a review day kind of lecture that you can watch over and over again. You do not have to go hunting for the material to learn it initially. It is easy to hunt for sample problems when you know what you are looking for, but another thing to find good explanations of the concepts which I think is important to have before you do problems.

Ultimately whether you are going to find these useful will depend on your learning style. No, you cannot interact and ask questions as you can in class or with a tutor, but you can watch the material as many times as you want until you get it. If you can learn from a video lecture, and use it wisely, it will absolutely help you understand the material and get better grades.

Study Aid Review: The Chemistry 1 Tutor Volume 2

 

This volume of Jason's Chemistry DVDs picks up where his first one leaves off. Going into chemical equations, chemical reactions, and Stoichiometry. If you are taking college-level General Chemistry I it will, depending on how your book is laid out, cover about another 1.5 to 2 chapters of material. Jason gives a lot of examples of how to solve problems, but just as useful he gives you a ton of tips on how to approach the problems. In some instances that stuff is just as useful, if not more so, than going through the problems themselves.

The information Jason gives on balancing chemical equations, and a simple tip he gives (that apparently not all books and teachers tell you) for situations when you get all but one part of the equation balanced and the unbalanced part is not a clean even multiple of any others is worth the price of the set alone. And keeping true to the style of how he goes through the math and physics and circuits DVDs he always tells you why he is doing what he is, and walks you through step-by-step.

Whether you find this helpful or not will depend in large part on how you learn. If you are a book learner or need to interact with a tutor/teacher this will not help you much. If you are a visual or audio learner and the thought of a marker board lecture does not bore you to death, then this is a great investment. The thing that sets Jason's DVDs apart from some of the web-based material you can find is that is goes in order, and combines a lecture with problem-solving examples. He teaches you enough theory and background that you can understand the subject, but then gives you a lot more examples than you are likely to get in a traditional class. He shows you the kind of problems that you are most likely to encounter on a quiz or test (depending on your teacher), but usually not the hardest problems you might get as homework. I have most of Jason's material (aside from the basic math DVDs) and they have helped me get through all levels of math and physics with a 4.0 average. I still had to put in a lot of hard work of my own, but I would recommend his DVDs to anyone having trouble with the material or anyone who is looking for self-study material to get ready for a class.

Product Review: MCR Safety 2235R Economy Polyvinyl Chloride Strap Indirect Ventilation General Purpose Goggle with Clear Frame and Clear Anti-Fog Lens

 

I purchased these to use in my chemistry lab. I was in a distance program that required on-campus labs in the summer. So, we did all of the labs for the semester over the course of a week. So, I had to wear these every day for hours at a time. They were very comfortable and never fogged up, even when also wearing my regular glasses. I know some reviewers did say they fogged up, but that was definitely not my experience with these. And, they are a lot less expensive than getting them through the bookstore. So, if you need safety goggles, I definitely recommend these.

Study Guide Review: 3,000 Solved Problems In Chemistry (Schaum's Outlines) 1st Edition

 

This is a very good resource to help you get through the two semesters of a college-level General Chemistry course. It will also help in a high school chemistry course, or an intro to chemistry course. It has problems from all of the main topics you would be exposed to in one of those classes, including an intro to Organic Chemistry and Nuclear Chemistry which you tend to get toward the end of the second semester of General Chemistry if you have to take it.

Keep in mind this is a problems guide. It is not meant to be, nor is it good for, actually trying to learn the fundamental concepts. It does have some very bare-bones explanatory material, but it is not as extensive as you would see in the chapter text of a textbook or in supplements that are geared more to teaching the theory. But, this will give you examples of nearly every possible type of problem you will be exposed to either as a homework problem or on an exam or quiz. So, if you get stuck on homework you will very likely find an analogous problem in this guide that can help you out. So, you are in the unfortunate position of having a teacher you do not understand and cannot follow the explanations and examples in a textbook very easily, this is a good resource to use.