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What is chemistry? new kinds of rocket fuel. You can
Chemistry is the study find chemists almost everywhere,
of matter, the from boiler rooms that heat large
properties of that buildings to manufacturing plans
matter (like that make yogurt.
temperature, density,
Even though it may seem that
etc.), and how it
these chemists do different jobs,
interacts with other
for the most part they all have
matter and energy.
these things in common: they
Note: This is also the definition for know how to ask questions, test
physics, by the way! But in their ideas (hypothesis) with
physics, the focus is more on the experiments, and have become
nucleus itself and the smaller bits very good at observing results.
inside, whereas chemistry focuses
on the properties of the atom and
how it interacts with other things. The Scientific Method
Why study chemistry, anyway? Do I need to do the scientific
Well, if you think about it, method in order to do
everything you touch, smell, see, chemistry? No. The scientific
or observe in some way is a method is only one of several
chemical. Baking bread, starting a different methods that scientists
car engine, eating dinner, growing use for getting answers to their
a plant… it’s all chemistry. Lots of questions.
folks use chemistry in their jobs
However, the scientific method is
every day, including doctors, fire
the most-used method in these two
fighters, engineers, biologists,
areas: Science Fair Projects and by
dentists, veterinarians, artists,
scientists in research labs. Most
plumbers, hair designers, pilots,
everyday scientists use a wide
astronomers, rocket scientists, and
variety of methods, from Iteration
more!
to Divide-and-Conquer to a
You’ll find chemists at your local simplified version of the scientific
pharmacy measuring out the right method called the Lab Report.
amount of medications for a
patient, or in a research lab testing
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