Energy and Earth Sciences with Hank L.

Stop right there! You finally found me: your one-stop shop for chemistry, physics, and generally-all-things-physical-science-related help! Who I am: I am a veteran physics, chemistry, engineering, and tech-ed teacher at the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy. My Pennsylvania teaching certifications are in chemistry, physics, and technology education. I have been at the school since it opened its doors in 2009. Prior to teaching, I worked as a chemical engineer and a stock trader. I've performed on Broadway (yes THAT one in NYC), and I used to play the bassoon. I love to ski and play with my two children. Why I am here: I mentioned that I was a chemical engineer by education... but now I'm a teacher?!?? Why would I forsake a much more profitable career for one in education? Because I love teaching :) In the years that I didn't teach, I always found some hobby that involved teaching people to do stuff, whether it was being a ski instructor at Seven Springs, teaching tennis lessons, tutoring family friends, or teaching a session on stock markets and trading at CMU. I'm a teacher now, which means that I have most of my summer off. That's where you come in. Why you should hire me: A book can teach you a lot of stuff, and if you are one of those few individuals who absorbs everything they see or read and become instant masters (think Neo learning Jiu Jitsu in the Matrix), then you don't need me, and really, you don't need anyone here. But if you're like most people, then some of the concepts might be a bit tricky and often a few helpful analogies and rephrasing of material is necessary. That's where I excel. If you struggle with concepts, I work to find ways to get the information into your mind in a way that might be more meaningful to you. For example, I was teaching students about Newton's Third Law (action and reaction). I asked them if they had ever been driving down a highway and hit a bug. They answered yes, and then I asked them why the bug splattered instead of the windshield. Categorically, they gave me the incorrect answer of "well, the bug hit the windshield with more force, didn't it?" I didn't answer them, but instead I showed them a video clip of a drag race between a Lamborghini Aventador and a Bugatti Veyron. Both cars went 0-60 in under 3 seconds. Pretty impressive. I turned off the video and asked them the question about the bug again, and they seemed confused, so I nudged them a bit more. "How long did it take that Veyron to go from 0-60?" A student shouted out, "about 2.6 seconds!" Then I asked him, "and how long did it take that hovering insect to get from 0 to 60, which is how fast your car was going when you hit him?" Suddenly, light bulbs started to flicker... "that was instant, like milliseconds!" I smiled as others started weighing in. "Yeah, that bug went 0-60 in under a second, so its ACCELERATION was greater!" So I finally answered, "correct, the force of the bug hitting the windshield is EXACTLY the same (but in the other direction) as the force of the windshield hitting the bug. Using Newton's Second Law equation, F=ma, if the forces are equal, but the mass of the car is MUCH MUCH bigger than the mass of the bug, it's easy to see what happens...[huge differences in acceleration]. And that is what ultimately destroys the bug. It's like a phrase I once heard from a skydiver--it's not the fall that hurts. It's the sudden stop at the end that can kill ya." I hope that example gives you insight into the type of tutor that I am. I hope to hear from you! PS... you might think that my online rates don't reflect the standard discount that many other tutors here give their students. That is true. While I don't shun technology, I also understand its limitations. Both of my specialties (chemistry and physics) involve a lot of equations and drawings... these are easily conveyed in short time when face to face. But when having to draw on a camera and/or type equations with lots of subscripts and superscripts, a lot of time is wasted. I don't discourage online help outright, but I don't recommend it as an initial session. That is why my prices display only a modest discount.