AP Chem - zumdahl book + teacher sucks

<p>you guys i really need help in AP chem...i don't understand anything my teacher is teaching and when i try to teach it to myself from the zumdahl book, it..doesn't work out X[ when i THINK i know what's happening, i do not do well on the midterm, no matter how many formulas i've memorized. i just suck at approaching problems/figuring out the steps to do them..but anyway my real question is, does anyone know of a good BOOK to TEACH me AP Chem, i thought ordering the PR AP chem review book would be helpful since almost everyone recommends it but my teacher doesnt like it and recommends, along with everyone else at my school, 5 Steps to a 5, but it seems like no one here even mentions it? also, he recommends Peterson's. i just need a book that sets foundation as well as teaches well..any suggestions?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.sciencegeek.net/APchemistry/index.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sciencegeek.net/APchemistry/index.shtml&lt;/a>
try this site for starters</p>

<p>^^thanks for posting that, my AP Chem class is horrific, and the entire class (a whole 8 people) are failing to grasp even the most basic concepts, as our teacher runs around like a headless chicken and refuses to slow down and teach.</p>

<p>anyone having trouble opening the calc. programs on that website??</p>

<p>Also revisting, I know you said a book, Barron's does a great job at teaching you the material. It is by no means an easy read and should only be used if you really need a secondary source to learn from.</p>

<p>aww omg thank you first of all for responding <3 i've heard barron's has a lot of extra info, which in the case i'd actually like...have u heard of peterson's/5 steps to a 5? it seems like everyone at my school recommends it but no one on cc talks about it</p>

<p>In our chem class the teacher pretty much asked us to teach ourselves from Peterson's and forget about the assigned textbook entirely. Which was stupid (and the passing rate reflected that). But Peterson's is good as far as test prep books go.</p>

<p>
[quote]
when i THINK i know what's happening, i do not do well on the midterm, no matter how many formulas i've memorized

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Don't memorize formulas, learn concepts and the math will come naturally. Typically the fewer formulas you memorize the better :)</p>

<p>I completely agree with fizix don't memorize formulas. It did some research with my chemistry teacher and he recommended Barrons. Although he said Pterson has enough information, he feels that it is too easy and does not reflect the exam well. It does however provide survey of the information. If you want to learn it, then Barron's supplement it with Petersons to reinforce the information. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>i think you should just try reading zumdahl's more.</p>

<p>i think you should just try reading zumdahl's more.</p>

<p>My Chem teacher only trusts the real AP Chem paper; we've to do a huge amount of AP test paper as HW lol.</p>

<p>yeah i think the concept part for gas laws i didn't understand since i was absent for 3days when the teacher taught it.. well i got peterson's today, i think i might use it and my zumdahl book as a supplement, i'd get barron's but i didn't get back on cc til after i bought it..which was like an hr ago lol.. and i had ordered PR from amazon but i never got my shipment even tho i paid for 2day shipping so i got a refund and bought peterson's from barnes and noble...i'll study peterson's and see how i do on my midterm and post back...i'm going to get barron's too (after midterm unfortunately) since u guys recommend it cuz peterson's does seem a bit easy just by looking through it.. thank you guys for the advice :) i'll post back by friday, which is when i'll get my midterm back</p>

<p>Read PR and 5 Steps for a 5 for the basics. These will help you score high on the AP. For true mastery of Chemistry, read Barrons and all of Zumdahls.</p>

<p>I thought PR was helpful for practice but nor for learning the material. It doesn't even have ICE boxes in it...</p>

<p>don't memorize formulas, they are given on the test, just know how to apply the formulas in different ways.</p>

<p>Correct me if I am wrong, but formulas are never given. In fact AP Chem requires you to memorize the constants on top of the formulas.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Correct me if I am wrong, but formulas are never given. In fact AP Chem requires you to memorize the constants on top of the formulas.

[/quote]

A formula sheet with constants are given on the free-response portion of the AP Chemistry Exam. Only the periodic table with the atomic number and molar mass are given on the multiple choice section. Correct me if I am wrong, but this is my knowledge of what is given and what is not for the AP Chemistry exam.</p>

<p>Yes, you're given a sheet with formulas and constants. Not ALL of the formulas and constants you have learned, but almost all.</p>

<p>I apologize for posting false information. In which case, I'll correct myself and say my AP Chem class requires us to know the constants and formula (all the way down to the thermo and voltage tables, was that fun). Sorry again, and thank you for telling that the formulas are given on the AP.</p>

<p>I have a question. I'm gonna self-study for Chem next year, and I did an Amazon search for the Zumdahl book, and there were many results. Which of them is the version everyone's talking about? Thanks a lot, and could you please include an Amazon link to the book? Thanks!!</p>