The Design Challenge

This teaching tool helps us: • develop a frame of mind or way of approaching the material and • design a set of sequential steps that help structure thinking about course topics in a problem-solving context.

A hypothesis is not a random guess.

We will make frequent use of the pedagogical tool we call the “Design Challenge” to help structure our discussion of the topics we cover in class.

t is nevertheless important for you to attempt to make a contribution to the discussion. Examples of other meaningful contributions might include: asking for clarification; associating the question with another class topic (trying to make connections); and expressing what you are comfortable with and what confuses you about the question. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know". That's perfectly okay and even expected sometimes. Be prepared for the instructor to follow up with a different question, however, that will try to either highlight something that you likely do know or to ask for your help with identifying a point of confusion.

Some in-class questions will ask students to formulate questions themselves. This exercise forces the student to reflect on and try to articulating the key point of the lesson. These critical exercises should engage you to think more deeply about a topic and to place it in the broader context of the course.

ost-study guide.

The slightly positive (δ+) charge will develop on the less electronegative atom, as electrons get pulled more towards the slightly more electronegative atom. A slightly negative (δ–) charge will develop on the more electronegative atom. Since there are two poles (the positive and negative poles), the bond is said to possess a dipole.

Given that we know an electron transfer will take place between these two elements, we can conclude that differences in electronegativities of ~2.2 are large enough to cause an electron to transfer between two atoms and that interactions between such elements are likely through ionic bonds.

These types of interactions derive their name from the involvement of pi bonds, a specific type of covalent bond between two atoms in which neighboring electron orbitals are close enough to overlap. We’ll leave the underlying discussion of molecular orbital theory for your chemistry course and just say that we usually associate pi bonds with double or triple covalent bonds. In biology, these types of bonds occur in many kinds of molecules, particularly those with so called conjugated pi systems including aromatic ring structures like those seen in some amino acids, vitamins and cofactors, and nucleic acids.