In my experience as Lecturer of Chemistry at undergraduate level, and my interaction with secondary school graduates, I noticed that many of them arrive at University with a surface or superficial understanding of important basic concepts, principles and notions of Chemistry. Some even have developed misconceptions in those concepts and principles.
For instance, I have noticed that students think they know some scientific principles, often by memorization of facts and data, yet they don’t really understand why. If you ask anybody around you what the boiling point of water is, he/she will answer 100oC, and this is correct. But if you ask the question of what really happens at the boiling point, the probability of getting a good answer is very low!
The reasons for this situation are many; inadequate teaching methodologies, lack of teaching aids such as textbooks, insufficient availability of laboratory facilities, learning approaches by cramming and memorization of data and facts, etc.
This series of Questions and Problems, is an attempt to bridge this gap.
Meet the Author
I am Daniel Iyamuremye, the author of this Series of Questions and Problems in Chemistry. I am an experienced Senior Lecturer of Chemistry, having taught at University Level for more than 20 years, successively at Université Nationale du Rwanda (UNR) in Rwanda, Kenyatta University (KU) in Kenya, Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) now University of Rwanda-College of Education (UR-CE).
I also occupied various administrative roles; Head of Chemistry Department, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Science, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Dean of the School of Distance Learning. Now retired and Consultant in Education.