Cate in NZ Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I've taken a week off work this week with the express intention of helping son with his science homework/ revision (he has his first science GCSE module exam in early November), and I'm doing great with the biology, even the physics, amazingly , but chemistry has got me completely stumped. He has a question to answer about what happens when hydrocarbons burn, specifically in this question ethane, and he has to write a balanced formula equation to show what happens when ethane burns. He says that they've not covered this in class yet, of course he may have been day-dreaming in class, but in fairness there's no notes in his school book to help us. I've been trying to work it out with help from GCSE bitesize and SAM learning sites, but I'm quite clearly a chemical numbskull here and I'm not understanding any of it. I'm hoping to get a chemistry book tomorrow to assist my understanding, but wondered if there were any clever people out there who could help. I'm not looking specifically for the answer, but how and why you reach the answer. Is there some chemical law here that has bypassed me? With any luck if I can grasp this I can teach him, and hopefully teach him so that he can apply it to other chemical reactions. I failed my O level chemistry rather too many years ago, and have quite obviously forgotten everything I ever knew about the subject Thank you for any help that you can give. (Off to help daughter with her French homework now - staying at work this week might have been easier ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 This any use Kate http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/carbon/burn.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 24, 2006 Author Share Posted October 24, 2006 Wow Louise, that was quick. Thank you At first glance it looks pretty straightforward, and should be a great help- but I will need to look at it a bit longer before I'll understand it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Bother, Louise, you got there so fast. I am a super wizz at Chemistry and have my super wizz certificate to prove it (along with my pilots licence and brain surgeons i.d. card..........) Kate A - chemistry homework ANOTHER reason not to have children Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 24, 2006 Author Share Posted October 24, 2006 Mel, I am aware at how brilliant you are, and of course would have kept my chemistry query specifically for your brilliant scientific brain, but thought that you might have been a bit busy recently and didn't want to bother a person of your sublime brilliance with my simple homework dilemmas However, since you're around.... this French homework that I'm currently tied up with .......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 you know me too well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I used to love Chemistry at school so logical I am a bit rusty now though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Have you sorted it out now Kate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieW Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Hi Kate It's been a long time since I've been on the forum, but happened to look on your topic and asked my 17 yr old, Chemistry student, son if he could help. One A4 page later...........I shall pm it to you. Even if it doesn't help you it has helped his revision!! Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Hi Annie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieW Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Hallo Ginette. Yes I'm still here. I dip in and out occasionally - mainly to catch up with Lesley's rapidly growing venture. I'm so impressed and I think she and Carl are an inspiration to all us 'one day' folk! Will try and keep up with the forum more regularly now - depending on the results of the Chemistry homework. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Good to hear from you! Are you doing 'dinners' now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 25, 2006 Author Share Posted October 25, 2006 Annie, the help was brilliant, thank you so much I just about understand it now, and reading through the explanation obviously triggered something in Seb's brain as he suddenly caught on and was explaining the rest of it to me Now, are you any good with French Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieW Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Yes Ginette, we have started doing 'dinners'. We joined a local group - the Small Farm Training Group (www.sftg.co.uk) who are a group of people interested in smallholdings, country skills etc on a small scale, such as back garden chicken keeping. They have regular meetings for all levels - we went to one last weekend on Introduction to Pigs. However, through the sftg we got six Sasso chicks at 4 weeks old, now 14 weeks and two have already been despatched. They are such different birds to layers, there is no question of becoming attached to them and the whole family has been involved in the despatching. Jamie and Hugh would be proud of us! We are interested in doing pigs but probably not until we have more than a back garden - not sure how keen the neighbours would be here. We also now have seven layers and even at the end of October, they all seem to be in full lay - we had seven eggs today. Must be happy chooks. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieW Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Now, are you any good with French Non Deutsch ja, espanol si, mais francais - non. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Yes Ginette, we have started doing 'dinners'. We joined a local group - the Small Farm Training Group (www.sftg.co.uk) who are a group of people interested in smallholdings, country skills etc on a small scale, such as back garden chicken keeping. They have regular meetings for all levels - we went to one last weekend on Introduction to Pigs. However, through the sftg we got six Sasso chicks at 4 weeks old, now 14 weeks and two have already been despatched. They are such different birds to layers, there is no question of becoming attached to them and the whole family has been involved in the despatching. Jamie and Hugh would be proud of us! We are interested in doing pigs but probably not until we have more than a back garden - not sure how keen the neighbours would be here. We also now have seven layers and even at the end of October, they all seem to be in full lay - we had seven eggs today. Must be happy chooks. Annie Wow! That is impressive. It's interesting what you say about the difference in personlities. That must make it easier. But I don't think I could do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Hi All, Been a while since I did any proper homework, absolutely hated chemistry so no use to anyone there. My experiments always went wrong and I'd end up spilling/breaking/splashing/burning something (or someone). Managed to s"Ooops, word censored!"e an E at A level I am better at French, spending 6 months working at a train factory in France translating train specifications and docs between French and English did wonders for my ability to chat up French train spotters and not much for my "bar chat" or street cred! No wonder I live with a stamp salesman!!! Lorna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 26, 2006 Author Share Posted October 26, 2006 I am better at French, spending 6 months working at a train factory in France translating train specifications and docs between French and English did wonders for my ability to chat up French train spotters and not much for my "bar chat" or street cred! Lorna Have you ever met Dan Lorna , I'm sure you could derail some poor innocent thread somewhere with French train chatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Looney Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 That's a very scary thought!! Now, what was the French for Intelligent Step System or Double Pillar Standard Bench again.... I think that stage of my life should stay firmly in the past Lorna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
