What is the point of Chemistry?

[MealDealDreamz]

Genuinely asking. I understand that it is essential for life and those that excel at science will love it. But my child is currently cramming for tomorrow and I'm looking at it thinking what really is the point of all this? My child will go into more business and languages subjects at A level hopefully. They like biology and physics but they asked me this morning to help them understand why Chemistry is so important. I just could not explain...

Your son needs GCSE chemistry in the same way my son needs German and history GCSE. It's all about understanding the world around you, and being able to access the wider world.

He does get that the chemical industry requires business specialists, and translators can work in scientific fields? Very few subjects work in isolation. They all need an appreciation of what the other cogs in the wheel can assist you with.

I cannot remember anything if what I learned in GCSE Chemistry (got a grade B) and although I obviously use chemicals in my everyday life I have no understanding of what they do or why apart from if I read the back of packet or if I look it up online. So I'd agree that what you learn in GCSE Chemistry (especially the endless equations) is pointless unless you are planning on a career in science. But then I think the same about maths. Much of what is taught to pass the exam is not useful maths for everyday life.

In my role, I have to use chemistry every single day to explain why doing A results in B and not Z. This is to people with average educations, and a poor understanding of basic science, resulting in significantly poor health and wellbeing. A lot of these people could have been spared a lot of misery and discomfort from having just a bit more understanding of basic science.

I guess my answer would be that some kids will go on to further study and careers that need chemistry and the school system doesn't know ahead of time who that will be, so everybody learns it.

Plus on top of that there is also a more idealistic purpose to education which is that giving kids knowledge about a broad range of topics (including chemistry) helps them to have a better understanding of the world around them and therefore grow up to be more well-rounded adults.

Good luck for tomorrow!

There is a big difference between education and training. School is supposed to provide an all round education and teach people how to learn. Hopefully even get you to enjoy learning. Just telling you what you need to know to perform a task comes under the banner of basic training and has a place but not at school.

We are talking about GCSE's which are chosen at about age 13, then studied for 2 years. I can't be the only person who opted for languages rather than science at age 13 and regretted it for the rest of my life. I went back and took GCSE chemistry and physics and then A level chemistry and maths at evening classes when my children were small but it was a financial impossibility to go on to do a degree by that point. Children should study as wide a range of subjects as possible for as long as possible in my opinion. My own children took International Baccalaureate instead of A levels (6 subjects including English, maths, a science, a humanity and a language to age 18).

Chemistry can teach practical life skills, such as why you should never mix bleach with anything acidic, as it creates toxic gas that can severely damage your lungs.
Chemistry explains why baking powder makes cakes rise, as the bicarbonate of soda reacts with acidic ingredients to produce carbon dioxide bubbles.
Chemistry reveals why rust forms on things like garden tools when left out in the rain, as iron oxidises when exposed to oxygen and moisture.
Chemistry demonstrates why non-stick frying pans work, thanks to polymers that prevent food from bonding to the surface.
Etc, etc...

Chemistry knowledge gained at GCSE can give a grounding in helping with
cooking
removing stains or cleaning things later in life
an awareness that you don’t just throw petrol and washing up liquid together without at the very least wearing goggles and gloves
medically treating burns or stings
understanding heat (tumble dryers) and the effects on fabrics

so it can be applied to a broad range of real life essential skills, and to apply those skills in a real life setting a groundwork knowledge of how substances react with each other forms the basis of an “educated guess”

See, this is a good point but one that just wouldn't have come to me on the basis of my incredibly dull chemistry lessons at school.

As @taxguru said in an earlier post

I can't really remember much of what we were taught as it was taught in a way that simply didn't relate to the real World at all.

This really needs to change to attract young people to chemistry.

If it helps we have had similar discussions about poetry, which I think personally is less ESSENTIAL, but all contributes to a wide colourful life

@icantwaitforsummer

If you are a driving instructor - some basic understanding of chemistry, engineering and physics is useful - from how the gears work, how best to lubricate the car, stopping distances and what those chemical symbols mean on tankers

a dog walker - a basic understanding of biology and anatomy and physiology and when to take an animal to a vet are all useful, as is money management, tax accounting and the laws regarding self employment

a retail manager - mathematics is a strong subject here with mainly logistics and statistics, with some biology, chemistry and then sociology thrown in to help understand employees and customers behaviours - the storage of chemicals in large quantities, how limescale busting toilet cleaners shouldn't be in the same cage or areas of the warehouse as bleach based cleaners, how cleaning chemicals are stored for cleaning the shop, food hygiene management and licencing laws

therapist - drugs and their interactions, sociology, psychology

a midwife - Mathematics, chemistry, biology, human physiology and anatomy, fetal medicine, adult medicine, the law and psychology

a social worker - drugs and signals of drug addiction, psychology, sociology, the law, human anatomy and physiology

a council planner - Physics, engineering, mathematics, chemical knowledge of different mortars, building materials and flame retardant surfaces

a paramedic - Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology all feature strongly with any of the medical professions - paramedics aren't just 'ambulance drivers', they calculate and administer drug dosages, need to know the interactions of prescription drugs, read ECGs, drive and need to prove that they can keep a seriously ill patient alive until they get to the hospital

a marketing manager - Mathematics, statistics, logic psychology and some creativity

primary school teacher - don't be daft, any teacher needs a solid grounding in all the scietific disciplines in order to expand the minds of their pupils

pilot - Again, maths, physics, some chemistry, aeronatics, some knowledge of human behaviour

soldier - chemical actions of some weapons, physics, some biology

You don't need to know it!

Yeah, you do

This. All of this. Thank you

This.

Chemistry is amazing.
it's about how the very elements interact and how complex compounds can be made.

There'd be no paints, drugs, cleaning products without chemistry.

Yeah you might make things without detailed knowledge but you wouldn't know why you limonene synthesis smelt funny.

And where would we be without chemistry for jokes like:
Two scientists walk into a bar. “I’ll have H2O,” says the first. The other says, “I’ll have H2O, too.”
The second one dies.

Chemistry is fun! Colour, fireworks, all sorts. I loved doing chromatography. And growing crystals. But it also helps me understand how I can make cakes rise better; why I shouldn't mix certain household chemicals; how bleaching agents work with laundry; what sort of fertiliser to use in the garden and what NPK values are (and I also understand why mixing chemicals wrongly in an agricultural sprayer can cause great swearing after the time Dad was left with an expensive tank of jelly...) I learnt about acid rain and smog and the ozone layer, about nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria, just the patterns in the periodic table, how some elements have similar properties.

Yes, I could live without knowing most of that, but life would be a bit duller, and a bit less safe.

My DS has a masters degree in Chemistry. He enjoyed it at School (I was surprised as my abiding memory of Chemistry lessons was how to make a stink bomb!) I recently finished Chemo for Ovarian Cancer I felt overwhelmingly grateful to the Chemists who made it possible. There seems a rush of threads saying that because a less favourite subject is being taught its somehow "no use" Bizarre !

A cleaner needs to know how to not kill the family pet.

A nursery nurse needs to know how to not give the children chemical burns.

A gardener needs to know how to not kill the plants, the grass, themselves or anybody within breathing range.

A mechanic needs to know how to clean the parts, prevent or treat rust and not cause themselves chemical burns, kill themselves or their customer and anybody else within crashing distance.

A builder needs to know how to not kill themselves or anybody else or have the house collapse due to a substandard concrete mix, the difference between foams, how to clean up, why some adhesives are in two parts.

A decorator, panel sprayer or welder needs to know about reactions to avoid paints falling off the surface or why it's necessary to use flux (and biology/physics to avoid arc eye in the latter example).

Everybody needs to know how to cook, deal with indigestion, burns, clean their homes, etc.

If we say "what's the point in learning XYZ, they'll never use it", then we are making decisions for young people and steering them towards careers. If we teach them a bit of everything, they can choose. It's about autonomy.

You'd probably be surprised.

I'm a civil engineer. In the last few weeks my knowledge of chemistry has been useful for:

-Discussing cathodic protection on a submerged steel sheet pile wall.

-Talking to a water company about the quality of effluent coming out of their treatment works and how this can be clean up in reef beds.

• Considering the type, and remediation of, post industrial contaminants on a brownfield development.

• Understanding how long different concrete mixes will take to cure, and the impact on site programme.

Domestically

• organising dm's post chemo + diabetes medication, understanding why things need to be taken in a particular order
• stain removal
• cleaning up burnt pans!
• using bicarb to take the edge of a bitter tomato sauce
• using fat to take the heat out of a chilli

Chemistry is about understanding matter- what we eat, drink, breathe, medication, fuel, the environment, manufacturing, oil/gas/water/mineral resources and the politics and economic issues associated with them!!

how to treat a wasp sting, and sort out overbleached hair

But your GCSE in Science/Chemistry will have normalised some scientific/chemical understanding.

You may not remember anything specific but the background you had will be helping you to understand and evaluate some of what you read about chemical products etc.

Maths and science is absolutely essential for midwives and paramedics.

I know! I would have been horrified if my midwife didn't understand basic chemistry!

I personally think it's a waste of time learning science and maths above a certain point unless you want to study it.

GCSE is the certain point!

We specialise our students way earlier than many countries as it is. So many 15 year olds don’t really know what they want to do or really what they’re interested in other than they have a good teacher who makes it interesting. a broad knowledge base and the ability to learn whatever you need in later life