This solid, yet value-priced paperback gives students the background and confidence they need to succeed in chemistry. Stoker focuses on the most important topics—omitting organic and biochemistry chapters—and teaches the problem-solving skills students need. Each topic is developed at “ground level,” and continues step by step until the level of sophistication required for a further chemistry course is attained. Features An emphasis on problem solving throughout uses dimensional analysis in problem-solving whenever possible. This equips students with a powerful and widely applicable tool that requires no mathematics beyond arithmetic and elementary algebra. Worked examples with detailed commentary show students the proper way to mentally dissect and solve a problem. Over 5,000 questions and problems give students more opportunities than any other text to become proficient problem-solvers. Emphasis on significant figure concepts in all problem-solving situations provides two answers to the example: the calculator answer (which does not take into account significant digits) and the correct answer (which is the calculator answer adjusted to the correct number of significant figures). Extensive margin notes provide additional details, links between concepts or historical information about the concepts under discussion. They summarize key concepts and give students tips for remembering concepts or distinguishing between similar concepts. Vignettes on “The Human Side of Chemistry” are brief biographies of scientists who helped develop the foundations of modern chemistry. A Chemical Extension application adds perspective to worked-out examples that center on specific compounds. It focuses on the chemical compound itself, its relationship to the environment, its relationship to living systems (biochemistry), etc. This helps students become aware of the compounds “realness,” and not lose themselves in the mathematics of problem solving. “Answer Double Check,” found at the end of two-thirds of the worked-out problems in the text, encourages students to consider if their answer in a problem is a reasonable answer in terms of numerical magnitude, number of significant figures present, sign convention (plus or minus) and direction of change (increase or decrease). Multiple-Choice Practice Test questions in the end-of chapter reviews help students prepare for exams. Practice Exercise Review questions are incorporated in the end of chapter summary. Similar to exercises found in the chapter, the end-of-chapter practice exercises measure the students’ comprehension and mastery of concepts in the chapter. Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Science of Chemistry Chapter 2 Numbers from Measurements Chapter 3 Unit Systems and Dimensional Analysis Chapter 4 Basic Concepts About Matter Chapter 5 Subatomic Particles, Isotopes and Nuclear Chemistry Chapter 6 Electronic Structure and Chemical Periodicity Chapter 7 Chemical Bonds Chapter 8 Chemical Nomenclature Chapter 10 Chemical Calculations Involving Chemical Equations Chapter 11 States of Matter Chapter 12 Gas Laws Chapter 13 Solutions Chapter 14 Acids, Bases and Salts Chapter 15 Chemical Equations: Net Ionic and Oxidation-Reduction Chapter 16 Reaction Rates and Chemical Equilibrium

About the Author

Stephen Stoker of Weber State University in Ogden, UT, has taught the gamut of introductory chemistry courses, specializing in GOB, for the past 30 years. Weber State has a very large Health Professions school and GOB is geared at students with little