I find chemistry to be one of my favorite subjects, ever. When I was little, I was obsessed with chemistry. Animals scared me and physics was obviously out of my reach when I was in elementary school. The only videos I would watch on YouTube were about chemistry, and I even had a college chemistry textbook that a future optometrist gave me.
I found the concept of fission and fusion to be the most interesting, even though I certainly understood absolutely none of the math or actual theory behind it. So when I finally got to take an AP Chemistry class, I knew that my love was truer than anything I had ever experienced. I love it so much that while I took the exam, I couldn't do anything but smile. I want to share my love for chemistry with others, but I know it can be a hard sell, so here are a few reasons why everyone should love it!
1. It looks cool!
This is the most simple reason. Baking soda volcanoes, gas explosions and colored fire are some of the most common experiments done for children, and it's easy to see why. They are so magnificent that anyone from any age would be filled with curiosity as to why that change happened.
2. Chemistry helps us understand ourselves.
When people think of chemicals, they think of the typical household products, but they never stop to think that we share many of the same fundamental atoms. When someone says, "It's made of chemicals, eww!" I understand them, but it also feels like they misunderstand, because they themselves are made of chemicals. It's the arrangement that matters.
3. It teaches the importance of science.
Chemistry is everywhere. In both living and non-living things. It can be used in everyday life as well as academically to help solve some of the world's biggest issues. It can be applied to a variety of uses including healthcare and agriculture. Many of the innovations that we have created have something to do with chemistry somewhere.
4. The math is fun and is useful.
Now math is a thing that most people hate, but in chemistry, it gives a purpose to the equations and math skills that many students feel are useless. Many of these calculations help us determine what types of materials should make up a battery and why they are the most effective, which is important if you want to make sure your phone doesn't die immediately. Nothing is more fun than understanding why you do both the math and chemistry.
5. It always improves.
As knowledge increases and improves, so will chemistry. There are always more things to be learned. Even in the last few years, four new elements were added to the periodic table, and it helps us learn more and more about atomic structure and the relationship between atoms. That is critical to those areas that use chemistry as part of their innovation.
It took me a couple of years for me to understand that college chemistry book, but since it was a while back, scientists have discovered new things in chemistry, and I just find that incredible. I love chemistry so much, and I will always be willing to blow something up in my backyard for the sake of science.
