The application I chose is called ”wRite formula”. It is a sort of game that is supposed to teach you how to write different formulas in chemistry. While playing this game, it asks you to come up with these formulas and then answer 2 questions, asking the exact name and combination that is used for the specific elements when combined, but it only gives you a minute and thirty seconds to play. If you get the wrong combination, it explains to you what you did wrong and how to fix it. In the end, it shows you your score and how many formulas you created. Here are a few pictures below screenshotted from the app:

Here, I selected 2 random elements and then pressed submit (making sure one is negative and one is positive).

After submitting, the app asks which name and formula is correct (this gives extra points when selecting the right ones).

When getting a certain amount of points, it goes to “bonus level” where it asks you to make a certain formula (in this case, Potassium Chloride).

If you get anything wrong, the app explains how the charges are unbalanced (or whatever reason it’s wrong) and you try again.

Here are the results after playing the game.

My list of questions:

1) Is this application science 9 related?

Yes, it is science 9 related because it teaches you a certain aspect of chemistry (we had learned this month), which really helps when coming up with formulas.

2) Are there any glitches or problems in the app?

At times the application does freeze or go back to the main screen, which seems like quite a big downside. I find it more difficult because if you’re in the middle of a certain level, it might lose all your progress if it crashes.

3) What kind of science does it address?

In this application it uses Chemistry. The program shows how to come up with formulas, name and combine them.

4) Is it easily understood?

It is very easily understood because there are steps that are explained during the game play, then after you get the hang of it, the game continues on without instructions.

5) Is it repetitive or does it explain different strategies to help me understand?

Each time you play,  the game gets harder. Unlike other games, it does not repeat the same level over, and over again, every level is different from the other.

6) Is it made to help kids our age on a certain aspect of science or is it just for fun?

In my opinion, this application is actually both. As it is a game, I find that kids our age might actually enjoy it more, rather than studying the formulas in a text book. So yes, it does help with science, and it is also fun for those who have a hard time understanding right away.

7) How does this app help me learn?

It helps me and others learn by showing and explaining how different formulas work, or why they don’t. Even if you don’t understand at first, slowly throughout the levels, the program explains to you and teaches about why compounds work the way they do.

8) How effective is it?

If it was my first time learning about compounds and formulas, I think while playing this game it would be very effective, as I actually started to enjoy playing it (even though I already knew what to do). The repetition of constantly creating formulas helps me memorize how and why it works the more practice I get.

To conclude I would give this application a rating of 4.5/5 stars. For me, the only problem was that it crashed a few times, causing me to lose my progress, but other than that it was very well made, thought out and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a bit of help studying formulas and compounds. I’m definitely going to use this program in the future and hopefully others will too!