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Chemical Education: Software Abstract for Volume 3 D, Number 1 VizQuiz J a m e s A. McCormick Project SERAPHIM University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706 Robert D. Allendoerfer SUNY at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14214-3094 VizQuiz, a multimedia vehicle for test and homework evaluation, is a computer program for Microsoft Windows that allows students to take a quiz a t a computer much as they would take a quiz on paper, hut with the added advantage that color graphics, animations, and video clips can be included i n the questions. Four types of questions are available: multiple choice, grouped binary choice, one word text answer, and single numeric answer. At the instructor's option, one or more spelling errors can be forgiven in textanswer questions. Accuracy and precision (significant figures) can he judged separately in numerical answer questions. Control of s t u d e n t access, grading, a n d grade recording are all handled by the computer with a minimum of human intewention. I n addition to multimedia capability, the program can provide hints, remedial feedback, worked out solutions or explanations, and instantaneous grading. I t has been used and tested in the general chemistry promams a t SUNY a t Buffalo and University of Wis-
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Figure 2. Slater-type orbital plotted by Mathcad document Variational Treatment of the H Atom Using a Gaussian Trial Wavefunction. but is especially useful in the mathematically intensive courses traditionally found in the physical chemistry sequence. ( 1 , 2, 3, 4 ) As the title suggests this module presents applications of Mathcad i n the area of quantum mechanics and is a n extension of earlier work. ( 5 ) Students generally find quantum chemistry to he highly mathematical, quite difficult, and very abstract. They are right on all counts. However the subject is also extremely important today, even a t the undergraduate level. There is, therefore, a need for relatively simple computer exercises that bridge the gap between the formalism of quantum theory and its various computational methods (6).All of the Mathcad documents presented here attempt to do this in one way or another. Some exercises involve relatively elementary problem solving, while others, for example, illustrate the basics of molecular orbital theory and the variational method. An example of how Mathcad handles data, text, mathematics, and graphics in a single live document is shown i n Figure 2, which allows students to comDare a Gaussian and a S l a t e r - -. t v ~ eorbital a s trial w i \ v function? for a reriation:ll calcularion on H. Pnrt 11 includcs Mathcad docurncmti in thvse areas:
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Hiickel Molecular Orbital Theory Semi-Empirical MO Calculation on Hydrogen Fluoride Five Trial Wavefunctions for the Helium Atom ARealb Simple SCF Calculation Spectroscopic Transitions for an Electron in a l-D Box Finding Roots Two Mare Variational Calculations
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re 1. VizQuiz display of a question that includes video of a buret ized from "TitrationTechniques"videodisc.
Enriching Quantum Chemistry with Mathcad, Part II Frank Rioux St. John's University Collegeville. M N 56321 Mathcad is a comprehensive, inexpensive program for doing numeric and svmholic mathematics on a com~uter. I t r g u s under Winiows a n d h a s a n appealing, k e r friendly, graphical interface. Mathcad has a wide variety of applications in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum,
About This Issue John W. Moore Jon L. Holmes University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 53706-1396 How to Use These Programs The programs in this Series D issue are for Windows on IBM PC-compatible computers. VizQuiz has been developed i n order to extend multimedia to testing and homework in addition to lecture and computer room. An important rationale for its creation is Volume 72 Number 4 Aoril 1995
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