Using Resources

Using Resources covers finite and renewable resources, potable water, waste water treatment, life cycle assessment, recycling, and for Triple students corrosion, alloys, ceramics, composites, the Haber process and fertilisers.

The unit is applied rather than theoretical, and questions usually ask you to evaluate rather than recall. Potable water is worth learning as a process in order, and the distinction between potable and pure water is examined directly — potable water is safe to drink but is not chemically pure. Life cycle assessment questions reward covering all four stages and recognising which parts involve judgement rather than measurement. Students most often lose marks by giving one-sided answers to evaluation questions. The Haber process, for Triple students, requires applying equilibrium reasoning to explain the conditions chosen.