Will SAT Prep Help Me in Other Subjects

Will SAT Prep Help Me in Other Subjects SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A lot of students wonder: does SAT prep help with anything else in life? In this article, a real SAT instructor gives her view on the topic. Most people look at education like a textbook: you read information, you absorb it, you move it around and you solve problems with it. But the best, most dynamic education is interdisciplinaryit combines multiple subjects that overlap or intersect, because that’s how the real world is. You can’t do science without math, and you can’t write a history paper without English. Along those same lines, you can’t get better at taking the SAT without learning something about the skills it tests and why it tests them. And yes, that can help you in the rest of your schoolworkif you prep the right way. The SAT loves to test alternate meanings of wordsthe less-common second meaning of the adjective â€Å"fair,† for example, which means pleasant (weather, for example, can be fair). SAT prep is a great way to learn these second meaningsnot just for the test, but so you’ll know what people mean when they say â€Å"fair-weather friend.† For example, let’s say you are prepping with the following Reading Comprehension question: The widow, searching for a craft store, passed dozens of storefronts as she walked. She had a very complicated and specific project in mind for her daughter, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to realize it without a special accessory for her sewing machine. In the passage above, â€Å"realize† most nearly means {A} understand {B} discover {C} accomplish {D} determine {E} earn If this question were on the SAT, you’d have very little chance of learning from itthe stress is too great. But in prep, you have a moment to think about it. Does the widow need to â€Å"understand† her project? No, that doesn’t make any sense, she thought of it. For her to â€Å"discover† the project makes even less sense. Does she need to â€Å"accomplish† the project? Yesdon’t eliminate {C}. To â€Å"determine† a project doesn’t make sense, nor does â€Å"earn.† So if you didn’t know that realize can mean accomplishliterally, to make realyour SAT prep has just given you a little boost in your understanding of the English language. Here at PrepScholar, we’ve constantly workingyes, right this minuteto improve the real-life applicability of our materials, both for the student’s benefit and for the advantage it gives the learning process itself. When ideas are more connected to other ideas, we remember them more readily. Thus, SAT prep that’s connected to the real world and other subjects is both more effective and more fun. Stay tuned to PrepScholar’s ongoing pedagogy innovations by subscribing to the blog! And if you found this interesting or helpful, sign up to the right to stay updated on the topics we think SAT preppers and their parents might find useful. Next Up: What the New SAT Means for You Or, get our FREE Ebook below: Get Your Free Resource Here Get a Free Guide Here

Combustion Definition in Chemistry

Combustion Definition in Chemistry Combustion is a chemical reaction that occurs between a fuel and an oxidizing agent that produces energy, usually in the form of heat and light. Combustion is considered an exergonic or exothermic chemical reaction. It is also known as burning. Combustion is considered to be one of the first chemical reactions intentionally controlled by humans. The reason combustion releases heat is because the double bond between oxygen atoms in O2 are weaker than the single bonds or other double bonds. So, although energy is absorbed in the reaction, it is released when the stronger bonds are formed to make carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). While the fuel plays a role in the energy of the reaction, its minor in comparison because the chemical bonds in the fuel are comparable to the energy of the bonds in the products. Mechanics Combustion occurs when a fuel and an oxidant react to form oxidized products. Typically, energy must be supplied to initiate the reaction. Once combustion starts, the released heat can make combustion self-sustaining. For example, consider a wood fire. Wood in the presence of oxygen in air does not undergo spontaneous combustion. Energy must be supplied, as from a lit match or exposure to heat. When the activation energy for the reaction is available, the cellulose (a carbohydrate) in wood reacts with oxygen in air to produce heat, light, smoke, ash, carbon dioxide, water, and other gases. The heat from the fire allows the reaction to proceed until the fire becomes too cool or the fuel or oxygen is exhausted. Example Reactions A simple example of a combustion reaction is the reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to produce water vapor: 2H2(g) O2(g) → 2H2O(g) A more familiar type of combustion reaction is the combustion of methane (a hydrocarbon) to produce carbon dioxide and water: CH4 2O2 → CO2 2H2O which leads to one general form of a combustion reaction: hydrocarbon oxygen → carbon dioxide and water Oxidants The oxidation reaction may be thought of in terms of electron transfer rather than the element oxygen. Chemists recognize several fuels capable of acting as oxidants for combustion. These include pure oxygen and also chlorine, fluorine, nitrous oxide, nitric acid, and chlorine trifluoride. For example, hydrogen gas burns, releasing heat and light, when reacted with chlorine to produce hydrogen chloride. Catalysis Combustion isnt usually a catalyzed reaction, but platinum or vanadium may act as catalysts. Complete Versus Incomplete Combustion Combustion is said to be complete when the reaction produces a minimal number of products. For example, if methane reacts with oxygen and only produces carbon dioxide and water, the process is complete combustion. Incomplete combustion occurs when there is insufficient oxygen for the fuel to convert completely to carbon dioxide and water. Incomplete oxidation of a fuel may also occur. It also results when pyrolysis occurs prior to combustion, as is the case with most fuels. In pyrolysis, organic matter undergoes thermal decomposition at high temperature without reacting with oxygen. Incomplete combustion may yield many additional products, including char, carbon monoxide, and acetaldehyde.