Do you stand aghast at the Chemistry you have forgotten?

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Folks, 

 

If you are the same as I, then you might often stand aghast at just how much you have forgotten in recent decades, meaning Topics such as inorganic/orgainic Chemistry, and many other useful things, knowledge which was very hard won, when we were younger.

 

Why did we even spend so many torturous hours gaining this knowledge, in the first place, if it is to finally be lost to us, as the sands of time trickle through the hourglass?

 

Is this not just one more example of the tragedy of Life?

 

So here, I would like to focus on JUST Chemistry, as a test case….

What might happen to our minds if we were to spend one hour each day re-learning what we think we might have forgotten?

 

And, the question also begs:  HAVE WE, truly, forgotten what we think we might have forgotten?

 

OR, is what we might think we have forgotten still lurking just below the surface of the cortex?

 

And, what might prove to be the best strategy for bringing into the foreground, what is probably now buried in the background of the brain?

 

Chemistry is quite unique in that Chemistry requires far more memorization than, say, Physics.

Maybe this is why many students find the learning of Chemistry so dislikable, a well known fact among science learners.

 

There is one man on TV who has a Very Excellent memory, and it is therefore no surprise that he should enjoy the learning and the practice of Chemistry. However, not all of us can be so lucky as he.

 

Also, the question of WHY we should re-learn Chemistry is very easily answered:

 

We need to re-learn Chemistry in order to understand Biochemistry in order to gain a feel for what is happening in the cell.  Everybody here should clearly understand that there is just NO WAY that we can do justice to the study of molecular biology without a deeper grasp of both Chemistry and Physics.  Biochemistry, at its very heart, is the study of the ENERGY RELATIONSHIPS in the cell. Therefore, need I say more? Physics and Chemistry are all about understanding of energy transfer, and you really cannot gain an understanding of energy transfer without frist knowing Chemistry and Physics.

 

This is why we, even if we be adult/geriatric students, must still re-learn all that we have forgotten about Chemistry, during the intervening years, since uni, and up until this day, August 22, 2025.

 

In my view, re-learning what one might imagine one has forgotten can be both a joyous and glorious experience. In addition; I am convinced that dedication to such a project can enhance the functioning of the brain, and make our days that much more pleasurable, even while riding motorcycles on local roads, or ordering food using the local language.

 

Chemistry, itself, is not difficult.  But, as I have implied above, the gift of a “superior memory” is indispensable.

 

Although still undecided, and this decision is still up in the air:

 

IF I “Choose to Take-on this Mission Impossible", which I think is actually not impossible, then I may need to spend more of my time watching the MIT lectures, and doing the problem solving exercises recommended by the prof giving the lectures on MIT OpenCourseWare.  For sure, I think I will not be able to do BOTH my scribblings AND do justice to my Chemistry re-learning project.

 

As well, I hope my dedication to the re-learning of freshman Chemistry might be an inspiration to others.  Sure, we can do this.  The question, the only question, is….Do YOU have the will.  And, do I have the will and the intestinal fortitude to actually carry this off in an admirable way?

 

Once again, we might ask the question:  

 

a. Why spend the time to re-learn Chemistry at our advanced ages?

 

The best logical answer to question A is….to ask the question….

 

b. Why did we learn Chemistry, at the university level, IN THE FIRST PLACE?

 

Thankfully, we live in a Free World. We have the freedoms to do what we want. And, if it is our choice to spend time re-learning Chemistry, then there is nobody to stop us.

 

Also, the choice to re-learn Chemistry is FREE, on the MIT website, as in….FREE BEER.

 

I am looking forward to my new endeavor.

I hope you will follow me lead…..

 

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US….!!!!

 

Best regards,

And….

 

I love the smell of methane in the mornings…through the miracle of methanogenesis, and anaerobic respiration.

 

Yours Truly,

Gamma

 

Please Note:  I have purposely not posted any links to the various Chemistry lecture series available on the MIT OpenCourseWare site.  What might be good for my goose, might not be so good for your gander.

 

However, if there is any Popular Demand that I do post my suggestions, then please let me know in the comment section, and I will do my best to oblige. Or, alternatively, you can post your own CourseWare links.

 

Happy Chemistry Learning….to All…

And, to ALL, a Good Night….!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[Purdey]

It is nice of you to post this, but chemistry is not that interesting a subject unless you plan to become a scientist in the field. There is little practical knowledge for day-to-day life in basic chemistry.

I found trigonometry not very useful, and someone told me he designed his lawn using trig. I was underwhelmed.

[short-Timer]

 

What is this chemistry you speak of? I have no idea really. Somewhere between high school explosions and Netflix documentaries about atoms maybe? I lost track. All I know is I do not have it. How can I be sure? Well, once a very attractive women was giving me a BJ, and I let one slip. She stopped mid-action and declared, with the solemnity of a scientist presenting a Nobel Prize, that we didn’t have any chemistry.

 

So apparently chemistry is the magical invisible force that makes farting during intimate acts desirably unacceptable. Who knew? Maybe two people can lack it simultaneously, maybe it is the reason we have bad dates, traffic jams, and socks that vanish in the laundry. Does anyone really need it anyway? Perhaps yes if you want oral favors. But personally, I am considering a lifestyle free of chemistry, experiments be damned. The world might survive. I might survive. And if I do not, at least I will have a good story about science failing me at the worst possible moment.

[GammaGlobulin]

3 minutes ago, Purdey said:

It is nice of you to post this, but chemistry is not that interesting a subject unless you plan to become a scientist in the field. There is little practical knowledge for day-to-day life in basic chemistry.

I found trigonometry not very useful, and someone told me he designed his lawn using trig. I was underwhelmed.

 

In my humble opinion, anything interesting, or of import, to be read in the NYT requires understanding of the Natural Sciences.

This is the fallacy of some people, as you mention, that they do not understand the importance of the Natural Sciences.

 

And, as we all know, Guam is sinking, under the weight of too many humans inhabiting the tiny island.

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

6 minutes ago, Purdey said:

It is nice of you to post this, but chemistry is not that interesting a subject unless you plan to become a scientist in the field. There is little practical knowledge for day-to-day life in basic chemistry.

I found trigonometry not very useful, and someone told me he designed his lawn using trig. I was underwhelmed.

 

Also, please correct me if I might be mistaken, but some of us do not spend time learning a field of knowledge solely based on the question of whether or not it might be useful to us, in the practical sense.....although.....

 

Certainly, the relearning of Chemistry might have many practical advantages for us, not to mention protecting our brains, as just one minor result of this re-learning.