CM2133 — Foundations of Physical Chemistry

Academic Year 24/25 - Semester 1

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Lecturer: A/P Kang Hway Chuan & Asst. Prof Liviu Ungur

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Assessments:​

• Quantum Test (Midterms): 12.5%

• Quantum Homework (3 submissions): 25%

• Thermodynamics Test (Week 11): 12.5%

• Thermodynamics Quizzes (3 quizzes): 12.5%

• Thermodynamics Homework (4 submissions): 12.5%

• Finals (Equal parts Quantum and Thermodynamics): 25%​​

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No. of responses : 6

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REVIEWS

What advice would you give to someone considering taking this course?

 

Anonymous: Overloading with this course is not advised, as the content covered is quite heavy. Practice some basic differentiation and integration as it is used in both the quantum and thermo sections of the course.

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Anonymous: You can overload with this course but if you have not learnt the fundamentals of physical chemistry before, it may require much more time to prepare for this module so it is not recommended if that’s the case. Consistent effort is required for this module (good to keep practising the content to be familiarised with it).

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Anonymous: Try your best to keep up with the lectures so that you can do the homework more efficiently and use the tutorials as practice. Make sure to clear doubts early; it makes the learning process much smoother with fewer hiccups.

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DolleEicir: Dear me, please don't overload. But if you do, please be diligent and consistent in maintaining both Quantum and Thermo, considering that by the end of Thermo, it would be almost 2 months since one would normally touch Quantum.

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Anonymous: Very content heavy so better to do with a lighter Chem course such as CM2143. The formula sheets provided by the profs are very comprehensive so virtually no memorisation is needed on that front but due to the sheer number of formulas present, the most important skill needed is to know when to use what formula. As long as you can understand the math, the exams and tests are quite straightforward.

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Anonymous: Some concepts are rather new and abstract. Watching YouTube after the lectures can help you understand/digest some of these concepts. The content for each lecture is quite heavy and requires consistent effort to understand and apply the concepts. While the content may be new and heavy, the exams are not particularly challenging (most questions are similar to Homework/tutorial questions). Hence, overloading with this course is OK.

 

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What did you enjoy or find most useful from this course?

  

Anonymous: The content was quite engaging. Both Profs were very good in their lectures. The TA also made tutorial more engaging.

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Anonymous: Both profs deliver the content needed for their sections well giving students good fundamentals in quantum mechanics and thermodynamics.

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DolleEicir: Good fundamentals to physical chemistry. Will be useful for future courses that require PChem as fundamentals.

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Anonymous: The lecturers and Dr Yee Hong (TA) are approachable and are willing to clarify any doubts we may have. The exams are not too difficult. There were some demonstrations conducted during lectures and they were quite interesting as we get to see how the concepts we learnt can be applied in real life.

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What aspects of the course did you find most challenging, and why?

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Anonymous: This course is very math-heavy, and quite a number of new concepts are introduced back to back.

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Anonymous: Understanding Quantum Mechanics was a struggle but once you go for tutorials and try the questions, it’s much better so don’t be discouraged by the lecture slides at the start! The tests may be challenging so must be prepared!

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Anonymous: Some concepts were quite foreign and might not be that easy to understand especially for people who do not have a physics background.

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DolleEicir: The workload for homework is okay, but needs time to do. Thermo is tough because it not only requires conceptual understanding, it also requires you to be able to solve equations mathematically. Quantum needs practice and to be comfortable with the use of the formulas provided, as well as a basic understanding of its conceptual parts.

 

Anonymous: The hardest part of this module was the lack of material to prepare for the tests and final. However, it is not too bad as compared to the difficulty of the concepts being taught, the papers are relatively significantly easier to do.

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Anonymous: Some concepts are quite new and difficult to understand as they are not chemistry concepts one may encounter in pre-university chemistry classes. For those with Physics background in JC/Poly, some concepts might be easier to understand.

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What resources did you find most helpful in helping you better understand the course material?

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Anonymous: Atkin's (textbook)

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Anonymous: Tutorials, homework assignments and atkins textbook

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Anonymous: The textbook that they provide to teach helps, you can use ChatGPT to assist you in explaining concepts that are found in the textbooks.

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DolleEicir: Prof Kang's thermo textbook, provided if you can take the time to sit and read through it in detail. Else YouTube has great resources for both Thermo and Quantum.

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Anonymous: The slides are sufficient to do well in the course as they contain all the necessary content and breakdown needed.

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Anonymous: YouTube videos, ChatGPT

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What other courses do you think should be taken before or concurrently with this module?

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Anonymous: CM2143 can be taken concurrently as it has a comparatively lighter workload.

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Anonymous: CM2122, CM2112

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Anonymous: Not necessary to take with other modules, but taking with 2122 or doing this mod after taking 2122 could possibly help understand some of the later concepts on NMR for the Quantum Section.

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DolleEicir: I took it with CM3252, and it helped because 1st half of Thermo is more theory/ fundamentals, which can be very conceptual and vague. CM3252's PChem applications help to contextualise the theory that is being taught, so it helped me to see how the concepts are being used, which would also tie into the 2nd half of Thermo which is on applications.

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Anonymous: Take together with CM2143 for a more balanced workload in the semester as 2133 tends to be quite heavy and 2143 the opposite.

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