I'm taking chemistry and biology next year. How can I prepare during the summer?

Question

This would be first year learning both sciences.

Since science altogether isn't my best subject (I have to work hard to understand things), I want to do a little preparation.

What can I do over the summer to get ready for both these courses?

Answer 1

Brush up on your algebra skills for chemistry.

Brush up on your basic Chemistry.  The periodic table.  The structure of the atom (Protons, Neutrons, electrons, energy levels, ions isotopes)

Know your units of measure.  If an object is moving at 55 km/hr be able to convert that to 15.27 meters per second.

Know your metric coeficients (mili, kilo, pico, mega, centi etc.)

Know the scientific method, the parts of an experiment (independent variable, dependant variable, control, constant)

Answer 2

The one specific thing my high school had us do in preparation for chemistry is to learn the symbols for the elements.  That doesn't take work or understanding, just looking at them several times over the summer.  Do some general reading in science, whatever interests you.  It gets your mind accustomed to thinking along those lines.  Think of an interesting science-related question and look it up in Wikipedia or at your library.

Answer 3

I am assuming that you are in high school.  My suggestion is more limited than the others.  I suggest that you really study your algebra.  Chemistry requires a knowledge of algebra.  

Answer 4

You might want to brush up on your algebra for chemistry.  The math is not too high a level but the more comfortable you are with fractions and mathematical relationships in general the better.  You could also familiarize yourself with the periodic table.  Some of the common elements you will probably talk about are symbolized by letters that are not obvious.  Some examples: Na = sodium, K = potassium; Ag = silver; Hg = mercury; Pb = lead; Fe = iron. Thee are a few others that are easy to get mixed up: B = born, Ba = barium, Br = bromine; C = carbon, Ca = calcium; Mg = magnesium, Mn = manganese.  Some good chemistry terms that you might want to know are molarity, stoichiometry, acid, base, the difference between an atom, molecule and ion, the states of matter.

Expect to use a lot less math in biology than in chemistry, though there could be some depending on what you cover.  Cell structure will probably be covered, you might want to look at some of the basic differences between plant and animal cells, and between eukaryotes and prokaryotes.  Some defining traits of the five kingdoms might be helpful: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi/Myceteae,  Monera, Protista.  This may be covered differently as that classification scheme has fallen out of favor.  Some other terms: metabolism (anabolism and catabolism), osmosis, symbiosis, evolution, natural selection, kin selection, haploid, diploid, clade/cladogram, vertebrate/invertebrate, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, Krebs cycle/citric acid cycle/tricarboxylic acid cycle, RNA, DNA, organelle, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, nucleic acid…

Some scientists whose work you might cover or who might be mentioned: Charles Darwin, Dmitri Mendeleev, Gregor Mendel, Arrhenius, Avogadro, Watson & Crick, Lamarck, Le Chatelier, Einstein, Max Planck (if you cover quantum mechanics which basic chemistry may not).

If the classes do not have specific prerequisites, it's hard to say exactly what to study for.  If you can get your hands on  the text books and/or syllabus before the class starts that would help.  Brushing up on basic chemistry is often helpful for an intro biology class, but if you haven't taken any then it might not.  

Both are pretty big subjects that encompass a lot of material.  If you are taking a quarter or semester for non-science majors you will probably cover a lot of things in relatively little detail or focus on just a few topics.  If you are in high school you will probably hit the topics I've mentioned, and probably others I'm not thinking of.

I just read Bulldog's suggestions, and I agree.  You might also want to know the SI units: kilograms for mass, liters for volume, seconds for time, Kelvin for temperature, Pascals for pressure.  Some other non-SI units commonly used in both subjects are calories, degrees Celsius, atmospheres, mmHg/torr,

Answer 5

The best is to study hard. Make research of what you think included to your course and what regards to it....otherwise, join Chemistry and Biology groups and request to teach you more about the given course, or asking more about those courses in Yahoo! Answers may help....hence, join our group: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/disco...

Hope I helped. :)