• Best of luck to the class of 2024 for their HSC exams. You got this!
    Let us know your thoughts on the HSC exams here
  • YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page
MedVision ad

Chem textbook - which one? (1 Viewer)

Derkk

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
51
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
I think my school uses chem in context (CIN) and they let us borrow the textbook for our senior year. I'm not sure if I should buy another textbook as well. I'm kinda gearing towards having CIN for schoolwork and stuff and buying maybe conquering chem or spotlight? Which should I buy?

I hear that they are both pretty good, and that the format of conquering chem is pretty easy to follow. Also if you know how much spotlight and conquering chem costs. Please post it as well.
 

-tal-

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
381
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
Conquering Chemistry, though good in most parts, is devastatingly wrong and absolutely irrelevant in a fair few parts (eg its spiel about acid rain etc, while valid, are not the only ways of forming acid rain. And sulfurous acid is not the only by product. It's part about ammonia in the chemical monitoring and management section spans for about 8 pages - though it's understandable he wants to be thorough, it's more than you'll ever need to know about ammonia production and its uses)

Spotlight can be good, but slightly off tangent.

If I were you, I'd go buy Jacaranda. It's thorough, relevant, slightly wordy, but very scientifically correct.

As with most textbooks, they're not perfect. All have gaps here and there, just Conquering Chemistry seems to have more than most.
 

hermand

je t'aime.
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
1,432
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
my school uses jacaranda and i think it's great. everything you need in the one massive beast of a book. haha. apart from it's sheer weight and largeness, it's amazing.
 

Derkk

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
51
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
ive been told by my friend jacaranda is good. anyone know how much it is?
 

turksta101

New Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
5
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
if you're looking for a work book i think that dot point is the best

if you just want plain notes you're better off buying excel

as for jacaranda.. i've never heard of it lol
 

-tal-

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
381
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
if you're looking for a work book i think that dot point is the best

if you just want plain notes you're better off buying excel


as for jacaranda.. i've never heard of it lol
Epic fail.
 

Sarah182

Herpes Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
851
Location
Somewhere over the rainbow
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Epic fail.
Have you used the new Excel ones, they are really good???

I find Conquering Chem is the best, steer clear of Chem Contexts.
The surfing chem ones are also good (I only have the production of materials one) and as I said above the NEW excel chem is great.
 

g4geexa

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
49
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Yep. Jacaranda is the way to go.
There is alot of data in this textbook, much more than you will need to remember for the exam. The questions are moderately dificult and are much better than most textbooks in terms of clarity, but you will need to think.

Get the surfing guides for quick revision, it's pretty much all the theory from the questions in the Dot Point series (same author).

Seriously though, one or two textbooks is enough, exam papers is what you should be doing before your exams and asking the teacher for their help. The teacher is worth $50 000 (probably more at a senior level) a year, so make the most out of him/her to help you understand, not the textbook.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
295
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Is there a new edition of Jacaranda for Chem, because the phy one is great!!! :D and not only that you can also access extra resources online
 

Derkk

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
51
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Okay so I think I might get jacaranda and surfing.

So that bout right? Good choices?
 

jet

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
3,148
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Chem contexts is the book we use, and its completely worth it.
We also use chem pathways, though not as much.

When I asked around about conquering chemistry, the comment i always heard was that it was not good. It was always recommended that I purchase Jacaranda.

CSU HSC online is always an excellent resource.
 

Derkk

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2009
Messages
51
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
yeh, chem context is the one that my school and tutor uses as well. I hear that it's alright but the information is like all clumped together and paragraphed.
 

bayan92

Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
232
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
  1. MACQUARIE??!?!?!?! Why hasn't anyone said it yet. It is also EXCELLENT for practicals as it was all the reliability and validity stuff which is good for discussions.
  2. The old is EXCEL is ok.
  3. Dotpoint is good if you can be bothered to do it.
  4. Conq. Chem - is my school textbook. Its not much of a summary.
 

Sarah182

Herpes Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
851
Location
Somewhere over the rainbow
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
  1. MACQUARIE??!?!?!?! Why hasn't anyone said it yet. It is also EXCELLENT for practicals as it was all the reliability and validity stuff which is good for discussions.
  2. The old is EXCEL is ok.
  3. Dotpoint is good if you can be bothered to do it.
  4. Conq. Chem - is my school textbook. Its not much of a summary.
Yeah Macquarie is actually really good, I forgot to mention that.

For mine I use:
Conquering Chem> NEW excel > Macquarie > Surfing Chem > Dot point >>>>> Chem Contexts
 

lo0cy

New Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2007
Messages
3
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
I own and used both the excel and dotpoint books. Dot point was great as it went through all of the syllabus outcomes and kind of set you up so you knew what to expect in an actual exam. Excel was a waste of money. Our teacher also took notes from spotlight but there was always alot of extra material that you didn't need to know. As long as you have a supplementary text to help you (like the one the school has supplied) then dot point is the best.
 

lychnobity

Active Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2008
Messages
1,292
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
In order of overall usefulness:

1) Jacaranda
2) Chem Contexts
3) Dot Point
4) Macquarie/Conquering Chem
5) Excel (new or old)
 

Shoom

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2008
Messages
694
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Excel is pretty good, its all u really need. I mean i havent screwed up yet and its all ive used for the my whole chemistry course,
 

jet

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
3,148
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
I would honestly invest in another textbook. You're doing yourself a real disservice.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top