Do you give your students formulas for science tests?

[Hunter's Moon]

I'm using Apologia for Chemistry and I'm about to take the Module 12 Exam tomorrow.

 

There are a lot of formulas and values in this module and a lot of them are intertwined so to memorize them would be so confusing.

 

Whenever I use a index card with formulas, I feel like I'm cheating.

 

For the most part, if I'm given a formula and I'm given the info I can take it from there so it isn't like I'm cheating.

 

So, I'm just wondering if you allow your child to use an index card with formulas.

[clementine]

In our co- op, the science instructor allows formulas on a 3x5 card - since there are so many to remember. :)

[OLG]

Yep, all science tests had formulas included in a box at the top of the test.

[regentrude]

I teach physics at the university, and our students are allowed an equation sheet on tests. In some classes one is provided, in others students write their own.

[Sunshine State Sue]

My son is taking a distance learning Physics class. He is provided with an equation sheet for all tests. There are way too many formulas to memorize, imo.

[Hunter's Moon]

Thank you everyone!

 

I teach physics at the university, and our students are allowed an equation sheet on tests. In some classes one is provided, in others students write their own.

 

This is what I was most worried about so thank you for answering. I didn't want to take a test with the formulas and then be unprepared for memorizing in college. I'm sure some teachers are different though, but thanks!

[Elizabeth in WA]

I was just looking at the AP Chemistry exam and there is a formula sheet provided. I was surprised and on looking into it saw some chatter to the effect that this was done because otherwise they would have to severely limit which calculators are allowed or else students could be advantaged by saving formulas in their calculators.

[choirfarm]

Wow, I didn't know that. I made my son memorize all of the formulas when he did the first year Apologia Chemistry...

 

Christine

[Mom22ns]

I guess I'm out of date, but when I got my degree in science, I never got to take a formula list into any chemistry or physics test. Maybe things have changed, but I would work on memorizing at least the most common so if you get teachers like I did, you aren't starting from scratch.

[MyThreeSons]

My BS is in Mechanical Engineering. All of my tests in Physics, Chemistry and engineering classes permitted use of equations sheets. Some courses there were no limits on what we coud put on the sheet, while others had restrictions. As one of my profs said, in real life, engineers use reference books as they do their calculations.

 

I allow my co-op Physics students to use an equations sheet. The first semester, I provided one for them to give them the idea of what things to include. Second semester, I had them make their own.

 

I am not interested in how well my students can memorize equations. I want them to be able to apply them. Think about the equations that are given to the students on the SAT math test -- most of those should be second nature to a high school student.

[Hunter's Moon]

Thanks everyone.

 

I know the basics, that isn't the problem.

 

For example, I know that P=F/A and I know how to manipulate if I'm given F instead of P or A instead of P.

 

I know that P1*V1=P2*V1 because I remember that P*V=constant.

 

There is one equation that threw me off this module, PV=n*R*T where n is number of moles and R=0.0821 L*atm/mole*K.

 

I see the point in memorizing, but I also wouldn't expect a scientist performing a real experiment to have all the equations memorized. As long as they know how to manipulate using Algebra and know how to convert between pressure units or volume units, or whatever, I think it's all good.

 

I know how to get to Kelvin degrees from Celsius and how to get from moles to grams and back again, and the same with mL and L.

 

I just wasn't sure if it was the norm or not to use a "cheat sheet" for formulas.

 

Thanks, again! :001_smile:

[regentrude]

There is one equation that threw me off this module, PV=n*R*T where n is number of moles and R=0.0821 L*atm/mole*K.

 

I see the point in memorizing, but I also wouldn't expect a scientist performing a real experiment to have all the equations memorized. As long as they know how to manipulate using Algebra and know how to convert between pressure units or volume units, or whatever, I think it's all good.

 

I know how to get to Kelvin degrees from Celsius and how to get from moles to grams and back again, and the same with mL and L.

 

 

An important distinction can be made between important formulas which state fundamental relationships between variables (such as pV=nRT, the equation of state for an ideal gas) and the numerical value of constants.

It is far more important to understand that p,V and T are linked through this relationship, and, for instance, being able to graph certain processes on a p-V-diagram, than memorizing the numerical value of R - because for the fundamental behavior, it does not matter at all what exactly that value is.

So, while any physicist or chemist would know the equation of state from memory, only people who work with this particular stuff would have memorized R.

 

So, while a point can be made for memorizing the most important relationships between quantities (and that usually happens by itself through practice problems), memorizing numbers is not very useful.