What Do Chemists Do?

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 615.

What Fields of Study Use Chemistry?

Why Study Chemistry?

Because understanding chemistry helps you understand the world around you. Cooking is chemistry. Everything you can touch or taste or smell is a chemical. When you study chemistry, you come to understand a bit about how things work. Chemistry isn't secret knowledge, useless to anyone but a scientist. It's the explanation for everyday things, like why laundry detergent ['lɔːndrɪ dɪ'tɜːʤ(ə)nt] works better in hot water or how baking soda soda ['səudə] works or why not all pain relievers work equally well on a headache.

You could use chemistry in most [məust] fields, but it's commonly seen in the sciences and in medicine. Chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers study chemistry. Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists ['θerəpɪst], and veterinarians veterinarian [ˌvetərɪ'neərɪən] all take chemistry courses. Science teachers study chemistry. Fire fighters and people who make fireworks learn about chemistry. So do truck drivers, plumbers, artists, hairdressers, chefs [ʃefs]... the list is extensive.

Whatever they want. Some chemists work in a lab, in a research environment, asking questions and testing hypotheses with experiments. Other chemists may work on a computer developing theories or models or predicting reactions. Some chemists do field work. Others contribute advice on chemistry for projects. Some chemists write. Some chemists teach. The career options are extensive.