Customer Reviews

Calculations in AS / A Level Chemistry

This book should be on every A level student's desk. I've just completed my Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) and i used this book for the both unit 1 and 2 of the chemistry course. Jim Clark takes you step by step through all the examples in this book using simple basic mathematics that even a primary schooler could do. i never really liked maths nor anything to do with calculations so i got this book and within a few months i was really confident with my calculations. it has a wide variety of examples and plus end of chapter questions. it's especially helpfull around exam times, you dont really have to read the text book for the topics covered in this book, all you need to do is practice the questions and you're well on you're way to passing. so get this book!!

This book is a godsend as far as calculations in Chemistry are concerned. The book is printed on quality paper and the content is laid out extremely well. There are sidebars on all the pages that contain information relevant to specific problems. This layout certainly aids conceptual learning.
Jim Clark is consistent in the methods he presents and explains them in a practical way that is easy to understand. The practice questions have worked answers in the back. This is extremely important as it allows students to see where they have gone wrong (if this is the case) and backs up the set methods in the rest of the book. A lot of other text books just give the answer at the back, which can lead to some head scratching if the error is not an obvious one.
The only complaint I would have is that there are not enough practice questions to do. I would gladly pay more for more practice questions with worked answers. This is a minor complaint though. Especially when compared to the quality of explanation. This is extremely important if you are studying by yourself and have no tutor to ask.
The author runs an excellent website at [...] that proves to be a worthy companion to the book.

This is a really great book,it takes you step-by-step through every type of question you will come across in any A-level chemistry syllabus giving you loads of examples and practice questions along the way.
I found it really easy to understand, and easier to revise,as it is directed towards exam questions. If you find any type of calculations hard, buy the book it is really good...

This is an excellent textbook overall, one that I have only a few very minor gripes abouts. I first bought this book while I was an industrial chemist and I needed to refresh my memory over a type of calculation I hadn't encountered since my own time as an A-Level student. Since then I have changed careers and become an A-Level chemistry teacher and I am now on my fourth copy of this book. I strongly encourage all of my students to invest in this book and to take the time to work through it.

The book itself is well presented and the calculations are worked through, step by step, with suitable hints and tips where appropriate. Each chapter has a number of calculations for the student to practice on, including a revision question section at the end of each chapter. All of these questions have answers in the back of the book, with several from each chapter being full worked answers.

The only very minor gripes I have are;

i) There could be more practice questions on Born-Haber cycles, including some for hypothetical compounds.

ii) There isn't a separate student homework book available. (Yes, I know I am being a little bit lazy, but I do rate this book very highly and think a homework book would be the icing on top of a very nice cake.)

iii) There are some very elegant (and difficult) calculations that I remember from my A-Level days. It is a pity that Mr Clark limited himself (by necessity, I'm sure) to the current A-Level specifications and didn't give us a taste of the good old days, even if only to tickle the grey matter of oldies like myself.

Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how to do calculations in A-Level chemistry.

Well done Mr Clark!

If you are going to buy one book for your Chemistry A-level, then without doubt get this one. All the calculations you will ever need are explained here in detail, with plenty of worked-through examples, questions and crucially, answers (a lot of textbooks have lots of exercises but no means to check them). The answers are also worked through, with pointers towards parts that are potentially problematic, so that you can see where you went wrong.

The layout and formatting of the book is extremely user-friendly, with helpful notes in the margin - but not overly friendly/personal such that relevant information is masked by waffle. Moreover, it is not only calculations; the book explains some of the key concepts and content as well (the chapter on redox equilibria is particularly excellent - everything in this complex topic became clear after reading the book).

Jim Clark's website, Chemguide, is also fantastic as well. I cannot praise the man enough!

Being an A Level chemistry student, as part of many of my exceedingly difficult homeworks I have to do "independant learning" to answer most of the questions. After many weeks of poor attempts at these, I found the author's website (chemguide).....providing me with all of the answers that my notes and textbooks omitted! So I decided to invest in the book. My Lord, I'm glad I did. The calculations are laid out in such a user-friendly way, I think someone *could* simply use this book and be able to complete the calculation part of a full A Level exam with no other teaching. I am SO grateful for Jim Clark's book, it has brought the fun (yes I know that's sad) back into chemistry after it had been removed by hours of frustration! If you do chemistry, buy this book, even if you are relatively confident with most calculations. If you don't do chemistry, buy the book, (sadly) I think you would find it fun and rewarding!

After confusing myself on weak acid calculations i headed to my college library to get my facts right, i stumbled across 'Calculations for AS/A level Chemistry' and worked through the examples and some of the questions. I was very impressed with Jim's style of writing, he covers all of the relevant topics but consisely, making it very easy to read and a fantastic reference book just to quickly revise a topic. All of the different methodology for A-level calculations is worked through in many example questions that are laid out in a very clear manner.
For practice there are a selection of problems at the end of each chapter with thorough answers in the back of the book.
I was incredibly pleased with how easy it was to read and it has vastly improved my foundations in chemistry.
Needless to say after an hour with it in the college library i went home and ordered it straight away.

Rescued me from chemistry confusion. A must-have title. I've recommended this book to all my classmates and they have all thanked me again and again. Most thanks must go to Jim Clark though, who wrote it. Brilliant.

Okay, let me tell you straight up: if you're doing chemistry and you don't have this book, you've just bought a car without an engine. And wheels. And a windscreen.
Seriously, it's worth it's weight in diamonds. The most wonderful thing about the book is Jim Clark - he manages to give the book such a wonderful tone, like he really wants you to learn, to win!
And he does, trust me.
So what are you waiting for? Buy this book!

This book is excellent in all aspects. Students frequently struggle with calculations and this book is very student friendly - the author carefully leads the reader through the main steps using a friendly writing style. An outstanding book - strongly recommended!!