Chemistry 3/4 2013 Thread

[clıppy]

Just a quick question in terms of exams.
If we're working with solutions and pH and whatnot and a temperature has not been specified (in the beginning of the question, or the part being worked on) do we assume the solutions are at 25 degrees celsius and that [H+] * [OH-] = 10^-14?

[lzxnl]

Just a quick question in terms of exams.
If we're working with solutions and pH and whatnot and a temperature has not been specified (in the beginning of the question, or the part being worked on) do we assume the solutions are at 25 degrees celsius and that [H+] * [OH-] = 10^-14?

It's VCE
What else are you going to do?

[clıppy]

It's VCE
What else are you going to do?

Good point

[Lasercookie]

Just a quick question in terms of exams.
If we're working with solutions and pH and whatnot and a temperature has not been specified (in the beginning of the question, or the part being worked on) do we assume the solutions are at 25 degrees celsius and that [H+] * [OH-] = 10^-14?

I'm fairly sure VCAA exams are well written enough to always specify temperature, give you the value for or state something like assume SLC. I think assuming SLC without it being stated is a bad habit to get into, you might accidentally overlook something or rather and is an easy way to make mistakes.

[clıppy]

I'm fairly sure VCAA exams are well written enough to always specify temperature, give you the value for or state something like assume SLC. I think assuming SLC without it being stated is a bad habit to get into, you might accidentally overlook something or rather and is an easy way to make mistakes.

Yeah I know, it's just one of the practice exams I had done didn't specify. Turns out you were supposed to assume SLC.

[Edward21]

I've heard from the grapevine that in past years for chemistry 4 marks is about the max you could drop for a 50 in chemistry (I'm hoping 45 but..) in the format of the new exam with about 124 marks, how many do you reckon is droppable for the 2.5hr combined exam??

[lzxnl]

I've heard from the grapevine that in past years for chemistry 4 marks is about the max you could drop for a 50 in chemistry (I'm hoping 45 but..) in the format of the new exam with about 124 marks, how many do you reckon is droppable for the 2.5hr combined exam??

Wait what, dropping 4 marks in total!? Wow.

This year, anything could happen. It could range from 1 mark to 8 marks, depending on how students cope with the exam and how VCAA writes it. They could write it easier to compensate for the inaugural length of exam, or students may just falter and fail to keep on going if VCAA write a proper difficulty exam for that time. Anything could happen.

[Edward21]

Wait what, dropping 4 marks in total!? Wow.

This year, anything could happen. It could range from 1 mark to 8 marks, depending on how students cope with the exam and how VCAA writes it. They could write it easier to compensate for the inaugural length of exam, or students may just falter and fail to keep on going if VCAA write a proper difficulty exam for that time. Anything could happen.

4 marks on the 1.5hr exams!! Not in total, just on the ones out of 75 or 82 for separate 3 and 4s

[thushan]

I've heard from the grapevine that in past years for chemistry 4 marks is about the max you could drop for a 50 in chemistry (I'm hoping 45 but..) in the format of the new exam with about 124 marks, how many do you reckon is droppable for the 2.5hr combined exam??

Haha. I know someone who dropped 5 marks in exam 1 and 1 mark in exam 2 and got a 50 in 2011.

[lzxnl]

4 marks on the 1.5hr exams!! Not in total, just on the ones out of 75 or 82 for separate 3 and 4s

Waaaaaaiiiiiiiiitttttt. So in previous years you could drop like six marks in total and still get a 50? That's ridiculous. In Methods you can drop two. In spesh you can drop none and not get a 50.

In that case, my upper bound of eight marks still stands. I still don't believe that in a chemistry exam, you could drop mark than 8 marks out of around 125 and still get a 50.

[thushan]

Waaaaaaiiiiiiiiitttttt. So in previous years you could drop like six marks in total and still get a 50? That's ridiculous. In Methods you can drop two. In spesh you can drop none and not get a 50.

In that case, my upper bound of eight marks still stands. I still don't believe that in a chemistry exam, you could drop mark than 8 marks out of around 125 and still get a 50.

Depends on the difficulty of the exam. Spesh exams (for the subject) have become way too frigging easy, whereas Methods have become more and more challenging.

As for Chem, since they are introducing essay-style questions, I anticipate that you could drop about 5-8 marks out of a chem exam out of 130 and still get a 50.

[lzxnl]

Depends on the difficulty of the exam. Spesh exams (for the subject) have become way too frigging easy, whereas Methods have become more and more challenging.

As for Chem, since they are introducing essay-style questions, I anticipate that you could drop about 5-8 marks out of a chem exam out of 130 and still get a 50.

Yeah, I'm getting concerned about this year's spesh exam. It may go to the point that I could get 100% on the exam and get a 48 because of my SACs.

[thushan]

Yeah, I'm getting concerned about this year's spesh exam. It may go to the point that I could get 100% on the exam and get a 48 because of my SACs.

Ha. I know of a person who got 100% on both exams in my year and got 49 (got 98-99 in SACs).

[lzxnl]

I've heard of that too. But weren't you ranked ahead of mchli in SACs? Wouldn't that have disadvantaged him, and given the year, possibly prevented him from getting a 50? Or was your performance not weak enough to drop his SAC score considerably?

Mod edit: Try not to use real names here, I changed it to his AN name (he was on AN too once).

[thushan]

Yeah, I was, he was rank 2 - I assume the both of us got 100 scaled.

Nah, we had another dude who would have gotten 100% in both exams (he was not rank 1 or 2 but got a 49).