Chemistry Foundations

What chemistry studies, how it is investigated, and how it connects to everyday life and other sciences.

Intended level

Beginner — no prerequisites; first topic in the Fundamentals path.

Prerequisites

• No prerequisites — start here.

Ordered lessons

1. what is chemistry
2. scientific method
3. si units
4. scientific notation
5. significant figures
6. accuracy precision error uncertainty
7. dimensional analysis
8. density
9. physical vs chemical properties
10. elements compounds mixtures
11. separation techniques
12. states of matter particle model

Related formulas and calculators

• $density$ — see Formula: density
• $dimensional-analysis-conversion$ — see Formula: dimensional-analysis-conversion
• unit-converter
• density-calculator

Only links to real, published tools are shown. Placeholders are not linked.

Common misconceptions

• Chemistry is only about mixing liquids in labs.
• Scientific laws are absolute truths rather than well-supported models.
• Precision and accuracy mean the same thing.

Related resources

• Constants — sourced physical constants with version stamps.
• Laboratory Safety — PPE, hazards, RAMP.
• Glossary — definitions for key terms in this topic.
• Sources and Data — how sources are versioned and cited.

Curriculum mappings

This topic maps to external frameworks stored in src/content/curriculum/. Never implies official affiliation.

• AP Chemistry 1.1 / IB Chemistry 2.1 (see /curriculum/ap-chem-1-1 and file src/content/curriculum/ap-chem-1-1.md).
• Framework version and source URL recorded per mapping; review date 2026-08-21.

Review and source metadata

• Author: Chemistry Fundamentals Editorial Team (chem-team)
• Reviewer: Dr. Example Reviewer (chemistry reviewer — transparent placeholder, see /editorial-policy)
• Last reviewed: 2026-08-21
• Review due: 2027-08-21
• Sources: NIST Reference Placeholder (nist-2022, 2022-CODATA). Placeholder reference — replace with actual sourced reference per lesson.

Printable summary

Summary card (PDF) — coming soon — print styles preserve equations and tables.

Correction? See Corrections Policy and Contact.