Customer Reviews

Exploring the World of Chemistry: From Ancient Metals to High-Speed Computers

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the only science book that I have ever picked up and just read straight through! I have taken college chemistry and other science courses, as well as having taught jr. high and high school general science and biology--and I have learned things from this book that I had never known before. Mr. Tiner very gently, in a narrative style, begins with elements which were apparent to ancient man--iron, copper, gold, silver--and describes their properties, history, and uses. He then progresses through the periodic chart introducing the elements, and even the sources of their names. The chapters are brief and interesting, and by the end of the chapters, you have been introduced to the chemical and physical properties of the elements, as well as to the scientist or scientists who discovered them. I plan to use this book as the introduction to each chapter in my children's high school chemistry course. It will make the course much more interesting, as well as to help them see the relevence of chemistry to their own lives. Thank you Mr. Tiner!!! (By the way, this book does not attempt to be a stand-alone, high school chemistry course. It would be excellent for the introduction to chemistry part of a high school level general science course, though.)

I purchased these books for my top 4 students in 5th grade chemistry. In my estimation the subject presentation is appropriate up to the 10th grade. The chapters are given in historical order, starting with ancient times. The lessons are fairly short, maybe 4 pages or so, and are at about a 4th grade reading level. We are finishing the chapters in two 45-minute classes with about 30 minutes of homework each day. Each chapter has its own set of questions to highlight the most important information. We cut out the answer keys with little impact to the integrity of the book. I would not consider this book to be adequate on its own for teaching chemistry, not even at the fifth grade level. As a supplement, it is exceptional.

This book came to us at exactly the right time. My 16 year old daughter and I were plugging away at chemistry and wondering why in the world we were wasting our time! John Hudson Tiner's Exploring the World of Chemistry actually makes sense! Now, we not only know why people study chemistry, but we also understand how various things are made. We learned how chemistry ties in with a lot of the things that we are using in our day-to-day lives. And, guess what? We're pretty amazed by chemistry now!

If you're trudging along through chemistry with no end in sight, I'd highly recommend adding this book as a supplement to whatever chemistry curriculum you are using. It's very simple to read, there are black and white illustrations throughout, and each (short) chapter concludes with a question section (these work great for quizzes).

I will definitely consider adding more books in this series to our school shelves in the future.

I purchased this book for my children based on the description and on the reviews. Overall, I like that the book breaks chemistry down along a fairly simple and logical historical timeline. However, the material within the chapter jumps around a lot and does not flow from one area to another very well.

Also, buyers need to be aware that the book presents chemistry from a "biblical perspective", a fact which was not included in the description, nor did any of the reviewers mention that. Apparently, the author has an entire series of science books that are presented this way. Unfortunately, I was looking for a secular presentation, so this book will not work for us.

Very interesting material, easy to understand, opens up ideas for further study or research. Best foundation for Chemistry I have ever used, I have homeschooled 5 kids through High School. I am using this for an 8th grader and plan to get all the books in the series for him.