WT Virtual Math Lab - Math Help for Chemistry

Math Help for Chemistry

WTAMU > Virtual Math Lab > Math for Sciences

Introduction

This page is a work in progress. We are planning to add to and improve the content. Feel free to use what we have so far.

If you need help with the math part of chemistry, you have come to the right place. Note that this will not help you with direct chemistry topics, but will help you with the math required to solve various chemistry problems. Note that you do not have to be a student at WTAMU to use this math in chemistry help session. It was created as a service to anyone who needs help with the math part of chemistry.

If this is your first visit to our website, please read the disclaimer.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY USE THIS WEBPAGE:

There are nine main math concepts shown below. These represent some of the common types of math problems that show up in various chemistry courses. You can pick and choose which math topics go with your particular chemistry problems.

Under each specific concept, you will find links to in-depth tutorials that will help you to learn and review the material. These tutorials come from the WTAMU Virtual Math Lab, which I created. Within these tutorials, you will find pertinent definitions, formulas, step-by-step explanations, an answer/discussion section with step-by-step solutions, and links to other credible webpages that can help you further with that topic.

In math, when you study a specific topic, a lot of times you are incorporating other mathematical topics into solving the problem. Some of the tutorials will overlap each other. This will help reinforce the concepts you need to know to do math in your chemistry class. Under some categories, there is overlapping between the different levels (beginning, intermediate, and college) of tutorials. Find the algebra level that agrees with you most and do the tutorials under that level. If you start below college level algebra, make sure that you make your way up through college algebra.

The math part of chemistry at this website is split into nine main areas:

*Note that not every math concept for chemistry is shown here, but we do plan to add some more topics at a later date.

Basic Mathematical Computations

Averages

Exponents and Scientific Notation

Solving Linear Equations
Solving Quadratic Equations
Solving Polynomial Equations by Factoring
Solving Rational Equations
Solving Formulas in General
Logarithms

Basic Mathematical Computations

This area contains basic math concepts. You know, fun things like making sure you have the negative in the right place and remembering when you have to find the common denominator of your fractions. Don't worry, I have the utmost confidence that you will do much better with arithmetic than Calvin.

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 3: Fractions

This tutorial covers:

numerators and denominators of a fraction
the prime factorization of a number
simplifying a fraction
finding the least common denominator of given fractions
multiplying, dividing, adding and subtracting fractions

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 5: Adding Real Numbers

This tutorial covers:

adding real numbers
finding the additive inverse or the opposite of a number

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 6: Subtracting Real Numbers

This tutorial covers:

subtracting real numbers

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 7: Multiplying and Dividing Real Numbers

This tutorial covers:

finding the reciprocal of a number
multiplying and dividing real numbers
multiplying by zero
the fact that dividing by zero is undefined

desk Averages

This area contains help in finding central tendencies. Sometimes in chemistry you need to be able to find an average or mean which is one of the central tendencies.

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 34: Central Tendencies

This tutorial covers:

finding the mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation and frequency distribution of a list of values

Exponents and Scientific Notation

This area contains help in working with exponents and applying that to scientific notation problems.

You will find several levels (beginning, intermediate and college pre-req) of help in exponents. There will be some overlapping between the levels. If a topic has tutorials in more than one level, try going under the highest level first. If that is too hard for you, go to the tutorials of the next level down, if available. If that is too hard for you, go to the tutorials of the next level down, if available.

Once you find a level to start with, make sure that if it is below college level, in the end you work your way up to college algebra.

The beauty of this is it is individualized. You can go at your own pace at the comfort of your own computer. You know better than anyone else what your algebra skills are.

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 26: Exponents

This tutorial covers:

using the definition of exponents
simplifying exponential expressions involving multiplying like bases, zero as an exponent, dividing like bases, raising a base to two exponents, raising a product to an exponent and raising a quotient to an exponent

Intermediate Algebra Tutorial 23: Exponents and Scientific Notation Part I

This tutorial covers:

using the definition of exponents, simplifying exponential expressions involving multiplying like bases, zero as an exponent, dividing like bases, and negative exponents
writing a number in scientific notation
writing a number in standard notation, without exponents

Intermediate Algebra Tutorial 24: Exponents and Scientific Notation Part II

This tutorial covers:

simplifying exponential expressions involving raising a base to two exponents, raising a product to an exponent and raising a quotient to an exponent
multiplying and dividing numbers written in scientific notation

College Algebra Tutorial 2: Integer Exponents

This tutorial covers:

using the definition of exponents
simplifying exponential expressions involving multiplying like bases, zero as an exponent, dividing like bases, negative exponents, raising a base to two exponents, raising a product to an exponent and raising a quotient to an exponent

College Algebra Tutorial 3: Scientific Notation

This tutorial covers:

writing a number in scientific notation
writing a number in decimal notation without exponents.

College Algebra Tutorial 5: Rational Exponents

This tutorial covers:

rewriting a rational exponent in radical notation
simplifying an expression that contains a rational exponent
Using rational exponents to simplify a radical expression

Solving Linear Equations

This area contains help in solving linear equations.

You will find several levels (beginning, intermediate and college) of help in solving linear equations. There will be some overlapping between the levels. If a topic has tutorials in more than one level, try going under the highest level first. If that is too hard for you, go to the tutorials of the next level down, if available. If that is too hard for you, go to the tutorials of the next level down, if available.

Once you find a level to start with, make sure that if it is below college level, in the end you work your way up to college algebra.

The beauty of this is it is individualized. You can go at your own pace at the comfort of your own computer. You know better than anyone else what your algebra skills are.

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 12: Addition Property of Equality

This tutorial covers:

knowing what a linear equation is
knowing if a value is a solution or not

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 13: Multiplication Property of Equality

This tutorial covers:

using the multiplication and division properties of equalities to solve linear equations
solving an equation using more than one property
knowing how to express consecutive integers in terms of x, if the first integer is x
knowing how to express even consecutive integers in terms of x, if the first even integer is x
knowing how to express odd consecutive integers in terms of x, if the first odd integer is x

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 14: Solving Linear Equations

This tutorial covers:

solving linear equations by using a combination of simplifying and various properties of equality

Intermediate Algebra Tutorial 7: Linear Equations in One Variable

This tutorial covers:

knowing what a linear equation is
knowing if a value is a solution or not
using the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division properties of equalities to solve linear equations
knowing when an equation has no solution
knowing when an equation has all real numbers as a solution

College Algebra Tutorial 14: Linear Equations in One Variable

This tutorial covers:

knowing what a linear equation is
knowing if a value is a solution or not
using the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division properties of equalities to solve linear equations
knowing when an equation has no solution
knowing when an equation has all real numbers as a solution

Solving Quadratic Equations

This area contains help in solving quadratic equations by factoring, completing the square and using the quadratic formula.

College Algebra Tutorial 17: Quadratic Equations

This tutorial covers:

solving quadratic equations by factoring
solving quadratic equations by the square root method
solving quadratic equations by completing the square
solving quadratic equations by using the quadratic formula
finding the discriminant of a quadratic equation and use it to tell how many and what type of solutions the equation has

Solving Polynomial Equations by Factoring

This area contains help in solving polynomial equations by factoring.

You will find several levels (intermediate and college) of help in solving polynomial equations by factoring. There will be some overlapping between the levels. If a topic has tutorials in more than one level, try going under the highest level first. If that is too hard for you, go to the tutorials of the next level down, if available. If that is too hard for you, go to the tutorials of the next level down, if available.

Once you find a level to start with, make sure that if it is below college level, in the end you work your way up to college algebra.

The beauty of this is it is individualized. You can go at your own pace at the comfort of your own computer. You know better than anyone else what your algebra skills are.

Intermediate Algebra Tutorial 30: Solving by Factoring

This tutorial covers:

writing a polynomial equation in standard form
using the zero factor property
solving polynomial equations by factoring

College Algebra Tutorial 18: Solving Polynomial Equations by Factoring

This tutorial covers:

writing a polynomial equation in standard form
using the zero factor property
solving polynomial equations by factoring

Solving Rational Equations

This area contains help in solving rational equations.

College Algebra Tutorial 15: Equations with Rational Expressions

This tutorial covers:

solving rational equations with rational expressions
knowing if a solution is an extraneous solution or not.

Solving Formulas in General

This area contains help in solving problems containing formulas.

Special Note:
This tutorial is algebra based, so some of the formulas found here are not chemistry formulas. However, this area can help you with the concept of solving formulas in general, which then can be applied to solving formulas that are specific to chemistry.

Once you find a level to start with, make sure that if it is below college level, in the end you work your way up to college algebra.

The beauty of this is it is individualized. You can go at your own pace at the comfort of your own computer. You know better than anyone else what your algebra skills are.

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 16: Percent and Problem Solving

This tutorial covers:

converting decimal numbers into percents
using Polya's four step process to solve word problems involving percents

Beginning Algebra Tutorial 32: Formulas

This tutorial covers:

using Polya's four step process to solve word problems involving geometry concepts, distance, mixtures and interest

Intermediate Algebra Tutorial 2: Algebraic Expressions

This tutorial covers:

knowing what a variable is
knowing what an algebraic expression is
evaluating an algebraic expression given a value for a variable
translating an English phrase into an algebraic expression

Intermediate Algebra Tutorial 9: Formulas and Problem Solving

This tutorial covers:

solving a formula for a given variable
using Polya's four step process to solve word problems involving formulas

College Algebra Tutorial 16: Formulas and Applications

This tutorial covers:

translating an English phrase into an algebraic expression
using Polya's four step process to solve word problems
solving a formula for a given variable

Logarithms

This area contains help in solving various logarithmic problems.

College Algebra Tutorial 43: Logarithmic Functions

This tutorial covers:

knowing the definition of a logarithmic function
writing a log function as an exponential function and vice versa
graphing a log function
evaluating a log
finding the domain of a log function.

College Algebra Tutorial 44: Logarithmic Properties

This tutorial covers:

being familiar with using properties of logarithms in various situations

College Algebra Tutorial 46: Logarithmic Equations

This tutorial covers:

solving logarithmic equations.

WTAMU > Virtual Math Lab > Math for Sciences

Disclaimer:
Note that we can not guarantee that you will pass your test after going through any of the tutorials in this website. However, it will definitely help you to better understand the topics covered. WTAMU and Kim Seward are not responsible for how a student does on any test for any reason including not being able to access the website due to any technology problems.

Throughout this website, we link to various outside sources. WTAMU and Kim Seward do not have any ownership to any of these outside websites and cannot give you permission to make any kind of copies of anything found at any of these websites that we link to. It is purely for you to link to for information or fun as you go through the study session. Each of these websites have a copy right clause that you need to read carefully if you are wanting to do anything other than go to the website and read it. We discourage any illegal use of the webpages found at these sites.