DEBUGGING
In this course, a test item that I made a mistake on would be from the second summative assessment. To be more specific, this would be the first question in part D of the assessment, which involved explaining how the size of the largest cation is smaller than that of the smallest anion, in an isoelectronic series. Although I was able to explain why this occurs, my answer was incomplete, because I was not able to give an example to further prove my answer, as stated in the item’s instructions. I was unable to do so since the time allotted for the summative was almost up, and I started panicking due to such. Because of this, my mind became clouded, and this hindered me from providing an example needed for the test item.
Because of that experience, I learned the importance of staying composed, as well as constantly making sure to not “crack” under pressure. In other words, making sure to stay calm even in the midst of stressful times is integral, for panicking will only hinder me from thinking properly, and being able to answer items that I can get correct in, had I not allowed fear to get the best of me.
Looking back at that specific problem, an example that I could have given to illustrate or support my explanation would be the sizes of an oxygen (O) anion, and a sodium (Na) cation. Going into further detail, as a sodium atom must lose its single valence electron to achieve the octet rule, the size of the ion will be smaller than that of a neutral sodium atom. This is because the sodium atom lost one of its electron shells when it became a cation, and this resulted in the number of protons being more than the number of electrons. Along with that, since an oxygen atom must gain two more electrons to satisfy the octet rule, the individual “pull” of the protons on the electrons will be divided, as there are more electrons than protons. This causes the size of the oxygen anion to be bigger than that of a neutral oxygen atom. Given this trend, it can be said that even the largest cation is smaller than the smallest anion, in an isoelectronic series.