[NUS Module Review] CM1131: Physical Chemistry

CM1131: Physical Chemistry

(INTRODUCTION)

Wow wow wow... Where do I even start with this? If you have a choice and you're considering taking this module, I suggest you consider this unless you're confident enough that you can excel in physical chemistry. If you don't have a choice (like me), then good luck to you... Because you'll need it. If you didn't know, physical chemistry covers things like perfect gases, heat, work, thermodynamics, phase changes and rate of reaction. Sounds simple right?

(MY EXPECTATIONS)

Of course, if I were to tell you that physical chemistry pretty much covers only the topics above, you would have told me that physical chemistry will be a breeze. I mean how hard can pV=nRT be? So did I actually think that this will be a module I'll breeze through as well? Yes, I did. Little did I know that the topics covered are broad but the depth is huge. Read on to find out.

(SCHEDULE)

Lectures are twice a week, around 2 hours long each. Tutorials are held once a week for 1 hour. BOTH LECTURES AND TUTORIALS ATTENDANCES ARE GRADED. So do not skip either.

Each lecture covers two lecture notes. And here's the thing... All those lecture notes may seem very different from each other, but somehow they're always linked between each other. So let's say there are 43 lecture notes, and you don't understand lecture note 27, your understanding for the next few chapters will be diminished. Trust me, you'll somehow get lost somewhere and those lecturers won't be waiting for you to understand before they move on. So learn to pick up the pace and go with the lecturer's flow, if you can.

For tutorials, the tutors are still thinking of the best way to conduct their tutorials. When I was taking the module, they had a group discussion tutorial. Was it effective? In my opinion, not at all. This is because, within an hour, we could at best only discuss two questions, and that's it. The tutor can only do his or her best to walk around in that hour to discuss what is right or wrong and very little time to clarify conceptual questions. I'm not sure how they will conduct tutorials this new year, but hopefully, it will be a better setting than this year.

(PASSING THE ASSESSMENT)

This is probably the best part of this blog. Unlike CM1111, the percentages are much more varied here. Take a look:

• Weekly Quizzes (on the week's lectures): 10%
• Lecture Attendance: 10%
• Tutorial Attendance and Participation: 10%
• Mid-terms: 25%
• Finals: 45%

I may be wrong in the percentages for mid-terms and finals but the percentages should lie around there. If you attend every single lecture, tutorials and get full marks for your weekly quizzes (yes, they are easy to get full marks), you should get 30% in the bag already. The issue is with the mid-terms and finals.

Along the course of this module, you'll learn more and more equations filled with many assumptions. The worse part is that these equations are mostly interlinked. In exams, the answers are never that straightforward even if it seems like one equation is needed to obtain the answer. When you get to the finals, your head will be filled with so many equations that sometimes you have no idea which to use.

Exams are filled mostly with application questions instead of theory questions so beware. Memorising questions, answers and formulas will never work. 

(EXPERIENCE AND FINAL GRADING)

I believe that if you have read all the way to here, you would have more or less felt my degree of disappointment, sadness and hate towards this module. I don't hate physical chemistry in general, just this module. I got consistently lost in the early stages and struggled to grasp a full understanding of the lecture notes. Things got really worse when Raoult's Law and Henry's Law were introduced... The only consolation I had been the fact that people around me were struggling as well so I didn't feel too bad. (Oops, but it's true)

I had to practice tutorial worksheets and PYP as tutorials weren't that effective for me. And even then, the finals caught me totally off-guard. In fact, it caught everyone off-guard. All my friends refused to talk about the paper after the finals and we just lived in denial after that. So you can tell how bad it was.

Still, I managed to do okay in the end... I guess. But its an experience I will never forget.

(CONCLUSION AND TIPS)

If you feel like you're struggling in this module, don't worry because everyone will be struggling with you. Many seniors that have come and gone have mentioned that this module is a killer module. If you're counting on memorizing tutorial answers or PYP answers, I suggest you don't as most of the time, the test paper you will sit for will surprise the heck out of you. If you take on a one-dimensional route of studying, it can cost you big time. Instead, approach this module by understanding the different concepts taught. If all else fails, pray hard that the bell curve will save you.

Ratings out of 5⭐:

• Rigor - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Degree of doability - ⭐⭐
• Bell Curve (to favour you) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐