General Chemistry I - Chemical Foundations

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from General Chemistry I lecture notes covering measurement, SI units, accuracy, precision, significant figures, dimensional analysis, and classification of matter.

Measurement

A quantitative observation consisting of a number and a unit.

Fundamental SI Units

The standard units of measurement in the SI system, including kilogram ($\text{kg}$) for mass, meter ($\text{m}$) for length, cubic meter ($\text{m}^3$) for volume, second ($\text{s}$) for time, kelvin ($\text{K}$) for temperature, ampere ($\text{A}$) for electric current, mole ($\text{mol}$) for amount of substance, joule ($\text{J}$) for energy, and pascal ($\text{Pa}$) for pressure.

Peta- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{15}$ or $1{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000$ with the symbol $\text{P}$.

Tera- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{12}$ or $1{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000$ with the symbol $\text{T}$.

Giga- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^9$ or $1{,}000{,}000{,}000$ with the symbol $\text{G}$.

Mega- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^6$ or $1{,}000{,}000$ with the symbol $\text{M}$.

Kilo- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^3$ or $1{,}000$ with the symbol $\text{k}$.

Deci- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-1}$ or $0.1$ with the symbol $\text{d}$.

Centi- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-2}$ or $0.01$ with the symbol $\text{c}$.

Milli- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-3}$ or $0.001$ with the symbol $\text{m}$.

Micro- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-6}$ or $0.000001$ with the symbol $\mu$.

Nano- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-9}$ or $0.000000001$ with the symbol $\text{n}$.

Pico- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-12}$ or $0.000000000001$ with the symbol $\text{p}$.

Femto- (SI Prefix)

An SI prefix representing $10^{-15}$ or $0.000000000000001$ with the symbol $\text{f}$.

Accuracy

The agreement between a measured value and what is accepted to be the true value.

Precision

The degree of agreement among several independent measurements, providing an indicator of reproducibility.

Accuracy vs. Precision Target Models

Target representations demonstrating measurement reliability: left target shows high accuracy and precision, middle target shows high precision but low accuracy, and right target shows low accuracy and low precision.

Certainty

Reflects the degree of confidence that one has in a measurement.

Certain Digit

A digit in a measurement that is known with high confidence.

Uncertain Digit

A digit in a measurement that must be estimated and is known with low confidence.

Significant Figures

All of the certain digits plus the first uncertain digit in a measurement.

Leading Zeros

Zeros that precede all of the nonzero digits; they do not count as significant figures.

Captive Zeros

Zeros located between nonzero digits; they always count as significant figures.

Trailing Zeros

Zeros at the right end of a number; they are significant only if the number contains a decimal point.

Exact Numbers

Counted numbers that have an infinite number of significant figures.

Significant Figures Rule for Multiplication and Division

The number of significant figures in the result is equal to the number of significant figures in the least certain measurement used in the calculation.

Significant Figures Rule for Addition and Subtraction

The result cannot have more digits to the right of the decimal point than any of the original numbers used in the calculation.

Multi-step Calculation Rounding Rule

Carry a greater number of digits than are actually significant through the entire calculation and round at the end using appropriate significant figure rules.

Dimensional Analysis

A method of converting between unit systems by structuring a unit conversion factor so unwanted units cancel when multiplying the starting measurement.

Classification of Matter

A hierarchical system organizing matter based on variable composition into mixtures (heterogeneous or homogeneous) or pure substances (elements or compounds).

Mixture

Matter that has a variable composition.

Pure Substance

Matter that does not have a variable composition.

Heterogeneous Mixture

A mixture that has visibly distinguishable parts.

Homogeneous Mixture

A mixture that does not have visibly distinguishable parts.

Element

A pure substance that does not contain various types of atoms.

Compound

A pure substance that contains various types of atoms.

Solid State

A classical state of matter represented by tightly packed, highly organized particles.

Liquid State

A classical state of matter represented by fluid particles closely gathered together at the bottom of a container.

Gas State

A classical state of matter represented by widely separated particles in constant motion throughout a container.