CM2133 - Foundations of Physical Chemistry
Academic Year 24/25 - Semester 2
Assessments:​
Thermodynamics Lecture Attendance (Poll.EV): 2%
Thermodynamics Homework: 5×4.6%
Thermodynamics Lecture Test: 12.5%
Quantum Homework: 5×5%
Quantum Lecture Test: 12.5%
Final Exam: 25%
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Lecturer: Dr Xu Hairuo (Thermodynamics), Dr Ng Yee Hong (Quantum)​
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No. of responses : 6
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REVIEWS
What advice would you give to someone considering to take this course?
nileyellow: I saw past reviews and seniors saying this mod was difficult, or even an "8 MC mod in disguise", and I thought, "How bad could it be?". I just want to apologise to my seniors for doubting them. This module is rigorous, difficult, and the workload is very high. 100% Do not recommend to overload if you want to get an A
George: In lieu of lab sessions, CM2133 contains more content overall compared to the other Level 2 Chemistry courses. Prior A-Level Physics background, PC2032, PC2130 and PC2135 knowledge will all be helpful. While CM2133 may lack the conceptual and mathematical rigour found in Physical Chemistry textbooks, it is still the most fundamental CM-coded course. Students should consider reading CM2133 as their first Chemistry course if they wish to acquire a top-down, deductive learning approach to their undergraduate educational journey.
Anonymous: Dr Ng speaks very fast, but he is very passionate about what he teaches so if you dont understand anything you should approach him directly. Lectures are difficult because he has to cater to everyone but 1 on 1 is better.
Anonymous: Consistent effort is required and yee hong is hard to understand.
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What did you enjoy or find most useful from this course?
nileyellow: The lecturers taught the content very well, especially Dr. Xu, who was very patient with my questions. While challenging, I felt that it was necessary knowledge to step into the world of chemistry. Thermodynamics was fun
George: The intended learning outcomes were clearly stated, and this helped scope one's learning. Both lecturers were also extremely approachable and stayed back after lectures and tutorials to clarify any lingering doubts.
Anonymous: Tutorials were useful to understand content better.
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What aspects of the course did you find most challenging, and why?
nileyellow: The concepts were definitely difficult, especially if you didn't take H2 Math & Physics for JC students. Brush up on your integration and differentiation skills because you'll need it.
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George: The marking points for some qualitative (homework) questions were unclear. Students sometimes know the correct answer but are unaware of what they need to write to obtain full credit. Because each homework was worth 5%, such trivial mistakes (each 0.5-1%) could result in drastic grade consequences, especially considering that the median for most homework assignments was 5/5
Anonymous: Breadth of the concepts, a lot is covered with not a lot of depth so it is difficult to know how much u need to study.
Anonymous: Second half of the course (Quantum) was quite difficult.
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What resources did you find most helpful in helping you better understand the course material?
nileyellow: Consultations with the professors were the most effective.
George: Past-year CM2133 papers were provided. However, not all of them came with solutions, and therefore, students had to rely on ChatGPT to verify the accuracy of their responses.
Anonymous: The textbooks! the one for the course
Anonymous: Read textbook
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What other courses do you think should be taken before or concurrently with this course?
nileyellow: CM2143 can be taken concurrently, but not recommended to if you're overloading
George: This course provides an introduction to spectroscopy. For those without a H3 Chemistry background, it would be beneficial to read CM2133 before taking CM2122 to gain a conceptual understanding of the organic spectroscopy portions of CM2122.
