January 1, 2016 (Vol. 36, No. 1)
Rating:
Strong Points: Many tools and calculations
Weak Points: Somewhat non-intuitive interface, slow calculations
Platform:
iPad/iPhone
Cost:
$4.99
Summary:
Showcasing the power of the Wolfram/Alpha computational knowledge engine, the Wolfram General Chemistry Course Assistant can carry out an impressive number of tasks. These range from simple tasks like displaying specific chemical properties for a user-inputted chemical element, to more complex calculations such as balancing chemical equations. However, while the app can do a lot of things some users may be turned off by the over-emphasis of calculations, which sometimes results in a less organic user experience. For example, while users can have the app find the atomic number for a specific element, users cannot simply pull up a Periodic Table to find the information themselves. Despite that, this app is still likely to be a very useful resource for chemistry students.
