“Outliers” by Malcomb Gladwell

I am reading a fascinating book called “Outliers”.

Here are some key points that have stuck with me.

All virtuoso violin players have practiced at least 10,000 hours by age 20. There were no exceptions for natural talent. This information reinforces my disdain for hearing students say I “can’t”. It is a cop-out and they short change themselves by giving up so easily. I think we could all surprise ourselves with what we can accomplish if we put some serious effort into practicing.

The second point that was poignant is that low income, high IQ students don’t tend to self-advocate, whereas higher income individuals know how to use their voice to express themselves.

An international math test has a lengthy questionnaire associated with it. A study found that the number of optional questionnaire questions answered by students was directly related to how well they performed on the math test. This shows that persistence is key to success.

Every-day applications of Chemistry

I am continually trying to think of how a chemistry topic relates to my students’ lives.  Here are a few new thoughts on this.

Reaction rate- global warming will cause certain reactions to speed up.

Hess’s Law- hydrogen fuel cells produce energy by reacting hydrogen with oxygen to produce water. However, the reverse reaction requires energy. So how do we get the hydrogen fuel needed without spending as much (or more) energy than the fuel cell produces?

flame tests- used by CSI investigators to analyze an unknown sample; fireworks technicians rely on the signature colors of the metal salts to produce desired colors.