Often times we forget to apply the knowledge we've acquired from class to practical purposes. After learning how to determine if a reaction forms a precipitate, we immediately performed a precipitate lab. The instructions were simple: mix two solutions and try to form a precipitate. My teammates and I immediately took advantage of the ambiguity of the instructions, and mixed solutions together randomly. After many failed attempts, we realized we were using old tactics to solve a new problem; in other words, we forgot that we could incorporate our learning into the activity. Rather than simply following the vague instructions, we applied our knowledge of balancing equations and using a solvent/solution table to figure out which solutions would form which products. In the end, we successfully created several successful reactions thanks to our application of our knowledge.
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