Precalc as a prereq for General Chem II?

[LawNonTrad]

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Lots of schools that I'm looking at doing a post-bacc at have trig and advanced algebra as a prereq for general chem I and precalc as a prereq for general chem II. I haven't taken chem since high school. I could understand having trig and advanced algebra as prereqs for an algebra-based physics course (and calc as a pre or co-req for a calculus-based physics course), but what am I missing here? I'm obviously missing something.

Thanks.

 

[Grand]

Lots of schools that I'm looking at doing a post-bacc at have trig and advanced algebra as a prereq for general chem I and precalc as a prereq for general chem II. I haven't taken chem since high school. I could understand having trig and advanced algebra as prereqs for an algebra-based physics course (and calc as a pre or co-req for a calculus-based physics course), but what am I missing here? I'm obviously missing something.

Thanks.

What is the Question?

 

[dru2002]

Lots of schools that I'm looking at doing a post-bacc at have trig and advanced algebra as a prereq for general chem I and precalc as a prereq for general chem II. I haven't taken chem since high school. I could understand having trig and advanced algebra as prereqs for an algebra-based physics course (and calc as a pre or co-req for a calculus-based physics course), but what am I missing here? I'm obviously missing something.

Thanks.

Gen chem uses a lot of algebra. Mostly plug and chug but there is some exponentials and logs to be dealt with. This is why algebra II is required. I can't recall using trig. But a lot of high schools combine algebra II and trig and call it pre-calc. Hope that helps.

 

[MexicanDr]

a lot of high schools combine algebra II and trig and call it pre-calc. Hope that helps.

👍

 

[icalz]

That's odd...from what I remember the quadratic equation was the most difficult math that we had to know. I honestly don't recall anything else...it was almost all formulas that we plugged and chugged.

Oh, there was some base 10 and natural log stuff...but the calculator figures all that out so it wasn't a problem.

 

[chman]

My school won't let you even start gen chem until you are done with pre-calc, and advise you to be done with calc before going further. I'm taking gen chem next quarter, so I can't tell you if this rule is bogus or not.

 

[MexicanDr]

I will start taking G.Chem next semester and they just required Knowledge of College Algebra..

 

[Dannyw]

They want you to have the knowledge of an "upper level math" so that the instructor doesn't have to explain how you found volume when you're given density and mass. Sadly some of the people in my class get stuck on things like this. ooof

 

[Naijaba]

Reaction rates, as the term implies, deal with reactant and product concentration changes over time. That is calculus at its best. It's no wonder why there are "integrated" rate laws...because they are derived by taking the integral of a rate function. (Integrals are a fundamental concept in calculus.)

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Reaction rates, as the term implies, deal with reactant and product concentration changes over time. That is calculus at its best. It's no wonder why there are "integrated" rate laws...because they are derived by taking the integral of a rate function. (Integrals are a fundamental concept in calculus.)

That may be true, but you can understand how it works intuitively without knowing the calculus behind it. Calc can help...but it's not necessary.

 

[integralx2]

I think Calculus I should be a pre req for Gen Chem II, but thats my opinion. Its just after I took it , I seemed to understand it much better then my counterparts who have not dealt with Calculus.