ChemlDtry According t o ROF RichardFee, 5645 South Kensington Avenue, LaGrange. IL 60525 Hardware: Apple I1 Family Components: 17 disks and 5 information sheets Level and Sublect High school chemistry Cost: $34.95 per disk. $425 for set of 17 Revlew I The software package, "Chemistry According to ROF", consists of 68 programs on 17 disks plus an administrative disk. Disk (1)-SIC FIGS AND SCI NOT consists of sin programs covering rounding of numbers, significant digits, and scientific notation. Disk (21-SCALES-MEASUREMENTDENS~TYconsists of seven programs on density and measurement. The density programs lead the user through an experiment that is done in the laboratory and then through the data analysis needed to determine the relationship between mass and volume. The measurement programs quiz the user's ability to read a graduated cylinder. Disks (3) a n d (4)-MATH FOR CHEMISTS 1 AND 2 consists of a total of eight programs covering metric conversions, the number of moles and atoms, percent cumposition, empirical and mulwular formulas Disk (5)-EI.ECTRON COUVICURATION cunsisrs uf three programs covrring quantum numbers, in&rp&ation and writing of electron configurations. Disk (6) ATOMIC STRUCTURE consists of three programs and a simulation on atomic theory. The simulation program, "MILLIKAN Oil Drop", requires a game paddle. Disk (7)-PERIODIC TABLE consists of three programs covering the Periodic Table, periodic relationships, and their correlation to atomic theory. For these programs the user needs s Periodic Table. Disk (8)-BONDING consists of four oroerams coverine ion.. izatim energy, bonding procease*, types o i chemical bonds, molecular geometry, ripma and pi bonds, hybrd orhitnls, and resonance
structures. Disk (9)-STOICHIOMETRY consists of five programs covering mole, Avogadro's number, chemical equivalence, density, mass-mass, and mass-volume problems. A calculator is needed far programs in this package that ask for a numerical answer. Disk (10)-CHEMICAL FORMULAS consists of five programs covering positive and negative ions, rules for writing chemical formulas, writing and naming ionic compounds. Disk (11)-COMPOUNDS AND EQUATIONS consists of five programs covering the naming of binary and ionic compounds, and balancing chemical equations. Disk (12)-CHEMICAL REACTIONS consists of three programs covering combustion and decomposition of hydrocarbons, acidbase reactions, reactions between metallic and nonmetallic oxides with water, direct combination, and single and double replacement. Disk (13)-LIQUIDS-SOLIDS-SOLUTIONS consists of three programs covering the properties of liquids, solids, and solutions. Disk (14)kGASES consists of three pnrgrams plus a simulntmn cuvrring kinet~c theory, gaq laws. and gar law problrms. The simulation nnmam. ' Gas Hehn\,id. rrquires a game paddle. Disks (15) and (16)ACIDS-BASES-SALTS 1and 2 consists of a total of eight programs covering properties of acids and bases, acid-base theories, equilibrium, K,,, K., pH, naming acids, acidbase, and titration problems. Disk (17)RXN RATES AND EQUILIBRIA consists of three programs covering reaction rate factors, reaction rate and chemical equilibria, LeChatelier7s principle, and the potential energy diagram. The Administration disk contains the following: Student Scores, Sug-
.
gestions for the Teacher, Errors, Documentation, Record Keeping, and Oil Drop Hardcopy. As you can see from the above, this program package covers the entire high school and general chemistry curriculum. Because of the large number of programs, 68 in all, general comments will be made about the package as a whole. The programs are mostly of the drill and practice type and are designed for beginning chemistry students in high school or perhaps college. The author wrote this set of programs t o be used as a motivating device for his students. He allows his students t o gain credit (or extra credit) by running the program and scaring a 90% or better. The students are encouraged to rerun the program until a score of 90% is made. Because of the specific nature of these programs, they may not fit into your teaching style. (They don't fit into mine.) The programs can be listed, so changes could he made if vou know BASIC. Upon booting; disk, a menu is presented listing the programs that it contains plus a program titled "Description of Programs". Since the written documentation is only five pages long, this program is used to explain to the user what each program on the disk is ahout. According to the printed doeumentation, the program "Description of Programs" is contained on each disk in the series.~.but in realitv the followine " disks do not cunfain this program, either un rhr menu or on tlw disk: Disks 3.4, 13. 14. and 15. There area few other "buts" rhroughour the package. My notes show a t least 7 crashes or screen hangups during one running of the ~
(Continued on page A240)
Summary Ratlngs: Rewlewer Category
Revleww
I
Ease of Use.. Subject Matter Content: Pedagogic Value: Student Reaction:
II
Excellent
Average Average Average Average
Gaad Good
Excsllerd
Reviewed in This Issue I
I
Corn~utefLearniw - Packages .
Revlewer George Radcliffe Norma N. Mackenzie J a m e s A. Boiani
Richard Fee, Chemistry According t o ROF R. W. Ramene, FABTIC-The Final Acid-Base Titration Curve Program M. B. Smith and M. R. Smith, Chemistry TutoriallDrill
I A239 A241
William L. Bell
A242
Bwks F. Albert Conon, Basic Inorganic Chemistry Second Edition Michael Freemantle, Chemistry in Action J. M. Tedder and A. Nechvatal, Basic Organic Chemistry Textbook Announcements New Volumes in Continuing Series Titles of Interest
Volume 6 5
Geoffrey Davies
A242
J. A. Campbell William L. Bell
A243 A243 A244 A244 A245
Number 9
September 1986
I I
A239
Review II
REVIEWS t ~ t a l17 di*ki Aftrr a program is selected, ~ A have I I I I I chuicr hut tuanswer the following qorstiona \\'hat is your last name; your first name; and the period you have chemistry. The reason for these questions is that a t the end of program the score the user has obtained in running the program is stored in a file on the disk. I t should be noted that the user must complete the entire program in order far his score to be saved. The teacher has the option to recall this information, usingthe administration disk. The user cannot skip sections of the program. After answering a question, the user is presented with two choices, press the space bar to continue, or press the letter Q key to quit that sends the user hack to the main menu. On the average each oroeram contains ,. a h w t 20 questions that are multiple choice. f i l l in the !,lank, and numerical answer. If a numerical answer is called for, correct units and significant figures must be given. The answer is either right and a variety of short compliments is given, or the answer is wrong and in some programs the correction is given. The user does not get a second chance a t the auestion. The oroeram .. "iust moves on to the next questim. My 5tudents felt thnt m allow a second chance at a question would improve rhr programs. Uumerical questior~s are more likely to have answers given. In programs having numerical questions, the program will indicate if the answer is wrong because of a calculation error, a significant figure error, or both. There is same error checkine done on answers eiven throuehout the prugram, and i t Teem5 I
