Chemistry Everyday for Everyone
Word Juxtapoz: An Innovative Tool for Chemical Education R. Subramaniam Singapore Science Centre, Science Centre Road, Singapore 609081 N. K. Goh and L. S. Chia Division of Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 469 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259756
Word Juxtapoz uses words, letters, or numerals juxtaposed in a particular manner or format to convey ideas. For example, YY4U could be interpreted to mean “too wise for you”. It was a recent local best-seller (1), which prompted us to explore its utility for chemical education. In the same league as crossword puzzles, pictorial puzzles, cartoons, enigmas, and conundrums, Word Juxtapoz provides another means for stimulating interest in chemistry. The fascinating approaches it provides for word play make it fun and enjoyable—two attributes that can help to rekindle interest in a lesson. It can be used as icebreakers in presentations, as brain teasers in lessons, as items in competitions, and also as an interesting pastime.
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Devising Word Juxtapoz puzzles requires some knowledge of the topics to be covered. A fair amount of cerebral endeavor is needed to formulate such puzzles. Solving Word Juxtapoz problems set by the teacher requires students to have some knowledge of the lesson covered, but the fact that this can lead to the answer motivates students to understand the topic. Novel approaches such as this, which help foster interest in a lesson, should be in every teacher’s repertoire of motivational strategies. Literature Cited 1. Chan, P. Word Juxtapoz; Juxtapoz Communications: Singapore, 1996.
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 4 April 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemistry Everyday for Everyone
Interpret the meaning of the items listed below. Most of them need only a knowledge of high school chemistry to unravel the answers. No peeking at page 488, where the answers are!
12.
0
1.
B.Sc. M.Sc. Ph.D. D.Sc.
Rule Rule Rule Rule 2. Rule Rule Rule Rule 3.
1 0 0 1
1 1 0 1
Temperature
5.
007 007
13.
B F
14.
P
15.
N S
LIQUID
CH
E N E R G Y
AGENT
∂y ∂x
17.
RCOOH
18.
DRIDE HY
19.
ASE
Table Table Table Table 7. Table Table Table Table Table Table Table Table
9.
C
C H R O M AT O G R A P HY
16.
8.
0 1 0 1
CARBON
4.
6.
0 0 0 1
AGENT AGENT AGENT
10.
C2H5OH
11.
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 4 April 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemistry Everyday for Everyone
20.
21.
22.
OSE OSE OSE OSE OSE
Answers to Word Juxtapoz Problems in Chemistry Problem Answer 1
Four degrees below zero
conductor
2
Octet rule
2
3
Carbon black
4
Inversion temperature
5
Double bonds
6
STARch
M+I+C+H+A+E+L
7
Periodic table
8
Equipartition of energy
9
23.
AM
Boiling Point 24.
25.
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10
Reducing agent Absolute ethanol
11
Mass defect
12
Binary mixture
13
Half-cell
14
p-Block elements
15
Partition chromatography
16
Liquid junction
17
Carboxylic acid derivative
18
Hydride shift
19
Invertase
20
Pentose
21
Semiconductor
22
Michael addition
23
Am in O (that is, amino)
24
Boiling point elevation
25
Line spectra
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 76 No. 4 April 1999 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
