Disclaimer: This advice is worthwhat you paid for it. Treat it as such.
In a time not long ago I took Pchem. Having hearda lot of horror stories concerning how difficult the subject of PhysicalChemistry was, I was quite worried about how the course would go.
Pchem does require a lot of work, but if you remaincurrent with the material and make an effort to understand the material,pchem will become an easy animal to tame. (Plus it explains such thingsas why the sky is blue.)
Now for some tips:
Learn to use your calculator. Whenproctering a quiz I realized a lot of students who have really sophisticatedcalculators were finding a numerical solution to an integral by hand. Ifyou have something equivalent to the TI-85 or HP48 these will do numericalsolutions to integrals faster more accurately than you ever will by hand.These machines also do a vast array of other interesting math tricks thatwill come in handy not only in Pchem but in other math based classes. Learningto use these machines will help you GREATLY.
Check the course webpage for correctionsto the text. Dr. Noggle carefully typed up his manuscript and sentit off to the printers, who promptly employed a group of chimpanzees toprint the book. There are errors in the text, sometimes in the answersin the back of the book. The web page has corrections. If you think you'vedone a problem correctly but aren't getting the answer in the back of thebook, check the webpage to see if it is a misprint -- if not then go tothe TA.
Look at the cover of your book andtake note of who your professor is. There is a good chance thatthe author of your book and your professor are one in the same. Dr. Noggleusually teaches in the same order as the book, and usually does very similarexamples if not the same examples as done in the book. So, unless you reallylike to write a lot of notes -- or, perhaps note taking helps you stayawake in class -- don't take notes. You already paid about $80 for a bookthat has the same thing you are writting down. Read the book before classand have it open during class, following along in the book as the lectureprogresses. This way you get to understand the material instead of franticallywritting half legible notes that you won't read later anyhow. I did nothave Dr. Dybowski for lecture, but my friends who did said that he toofollows the book fairly closely.
Unfortunately, Professor Noggle passed away March13, 1998. Eventhough you will no longer have the great fortune to havehim as a professor, his book continues to be an excellent outline of thecourse. I still suggest that the book be used as your course notes.
For those of you having troublefinding Mathcad on campus sites, you might want to try the Spensercomputer site in the basement of Spenser lab. This site is open very late-- I was in there at 2 AM one time, and some fellow Chem E's have spentall night in there. I think that the Pearson site also has Mathcad. Ifyou are a Chem E and don't have a copy of Mathcad you should get one. Thermohas two computer projects which you could use Mathcad on, plus there aresome sample Mathcad sheets out there concerning how to do some Thermo problems(that is if Dr. Sandler still has them posted on the web). Besides, Mathcadis used in later engineering courses. Mathcad is also available on thecomputers in the Dell lab in Colburn.
On more of a getting a good gradenote, my advice would be don't take quizzes lightly. More than onceI would rush through my homework and not bother to actually study the material,only to blow the quiz that week. As a result, I had to do really well onexams to make up for a couple of weeks of lax behavior during the semester.Quizes don't look like they count for that much until you start calculatingyour grade. Prepare for them as though they were mini exams. For thoseof you who had Dr. Munson, think of them as the Monday night quizes.
Most importantly - ask questions.If you don't understand the material, find someone who does and have themexplain it to you. As in most science and math courses, the subject isbuilt up from previously learned material. There is no way you're goingto be able to calculate the adiabatic flame temperature without understandingheats of reaction or heat capacity. There are numerous TA's for the courseas well as professors with a multitude of office hours and a lot of peoplearound (read, Junior Chem E's and Senior Chem majors) who've taken thecourse before. Use these resourses.