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How much maths is there in a chemistry course?

Was wondering about this because I want to do chemistry, but Im worried about my maths skills at the moment and was thinking about whether I might be able to handle chem at uni

Reply 1

Nymthae

Original post by longsightdon

Was wondering about this because I want to do chemistry, but Im worried about my maths skills at the moment and was thinking about whether I might be able to handle chem at uni

Are you doing A-level?

Pretty much most departments will teach maths in at least the first year, most of which is A-level, with a few Further Maths concepts in there. After that? Well, if you're into Physical Chemistry then you'll need to be on your game with Maths later on, but if you're not so fussed then you can sort of muddle through enough by learning how to answer questions (i.e. not understanding where an equation came from, why you're doing what you're doing). At most places you should be able to claw a 2.2/2.1 out of that if you put the work in. Assuming you're interested/better/work hard in the other areas there's nothing to suggest you can't do very well. Inorganic and Organic Chemistry barely requires any Maths past basic stuff.

You pretty much need the core competencies of basic algebra, rearranging, formulating, and using equations.

I'm atrocious at Physics (decent enough at Maths) so I pretty much went with the not-understanding-what-i'm-doing approach to a lot of Physical Chemistry, as I don't have any interest in it. It sucks, but i'm probably still going to get a decent degree (i.e. a first is very realistic, and at a minimum now i'll have a 2.1 as long as I pass the year).

It will probably seem daunting/tough, but if you seek help when you need it then you can work on it.