I also use a microwave regularly to heat food so go science.

This is a long one so i appreciate the read.

I think people picture chemists as someone in a lab conducting experiments with test tubes and beakers. I learnt in high school with research projects, that is not the case and contribute a lot more than fun fizzy reactions.

Thanks :)

I think, for the everyday person, the idea of a chemist conjures up the image of a white-cloaked person filling/mixing beakers full of interesting liquids, while the concept of chemistry brings to mind the study of matter, compounds, elements and atoms as well as atomic bonding and the periodic table of elements.

Depending on your age, I think that, when asked about chemistry, many people would picture Brian Cranston in Breaking Bad.

I believe people's initial perception of chemistry is someone working within a laboratory, making adjustments to formulae to experiment and achieve their desired outcome from their work.

I think the average person thinks of someone in a lab mixing up chemicals and performing distillations, or trying to make a new compound to sell.

My chemistry is pretty rough, but I am keen to learn more.

I think most people imagine a chemist as someone who is wearing a white lab coat, filling up test tubes and mixing things up to make new things.

I currently don't work in an industry that deals with chemicals at all as I currently work in finance I do however dabbled in 3D printing

I guess most people's perception of Chemistry is people in lab costs looking at things through microscopes and mixing volatile chemicals together to create reactions.

When most people think of chemists, they picture a mad scientist in a white coat, cackling while tossing mysterious solutions into beakers — somewhere on a scale between Rick Sanchez’s chaotic genius and Walter White’s… let’s call it “entrepreneurial chemistry.”

When most people picture chemistry, I think they imagine a mad scientist’s lab filled with bubbling beakers, test tubes, and Bunsen burners—or perhaps pharmaceutical research, or even the reactions powering stars. It’s a field that sparks images of curiosity, discovery, and transformation.

I think people picture a chemist to have a white lab coat and safety goggles, changing colours of solutions in beakers and conical flasks.

"What do you think the everyday person pictures in their mind when they consider a chemist and/or chemistry?" Hmm, probably some mad, curly-haired scientists donned in their lab coats doing explosive experiments in a lab? (like in the cartoon Dexter's Laboratory)

Most people's perception of what a chemist is, is probably formed from television and other popular culture. As others have mentioned, someone in a white lab coat mixing substances.

When I told my friends that I would be doing chemistry this study period, they have imagined that I would be handling chemicals and create "magic" through mixtures of whatever substances.

As for Chemist, I would assume everyone thinks it's drugs or chemist warehouse.

When I consider the question about how society views chemisty, I would have to say with a positive interest. This would be a result of the media's uptake with recent TV shows such as Breaking Bad, Lessons in chemisty. This is not a new however some of my favorite films such Army of Darkness and the entire Star Trek franchise engage with chemisty at some point. Replicator anyone?

Prior to this, my understanding of chemistry and what i feel most people's perception on chemistry was people in white coats mixing substances together to create all types of reactions.

changing a sodium nitrate solution using seaweed and colour changing other elements using chloride and salt solutions i cant remeber what elements where used however i know it was super fun and i considered doing it as a full time job. i did work in a lab for a bit where i had to do little chemistry tests in the water each day to ensure my oh levles on certain tanks where above average ect. using certain solutions to get the desired resukt adn if not adding a lttle extra cyanide to the mix definantly change those parameters.

when i think of chemistry and my backgriound and knowlegde on the topic i am amazed to think that everything around us is chemistry its all composed of molecules and atoms, whether pur or mixed and its so amazing.

when i comsider another person look on chemistry i generally consider them to see and think of chemistry only things that happen in the lab or behind secret doors, a few people i know perform naturally chemistry at home with cooking ect but other people just see it as its where the lab is and the conversation dims from there.

To alleviate this issue I proposed that instead of simply water we could make a mix of "drill mud" (a polymer based fluid that is used to help float cuttings out of the hole) and a lubricant solution that is sometimes used to assist in the presence of "hole squeeze" (when the ground conditions allow the hole diameter to shrink over the time spent drilling). The idea was to increase the viscosity of the fluid going down the hole to prevent the absorption of it into the offending clay bands that my have caused their own problems if they swelled due to hydration and also decrease the friction involved with turning the drill rods in the ground.

Without the quite clever chemistry involved in the development of these materials, it would not be unfair to say that either; the million+ dollar project would have had to be abandoned or there was an uncomfortably large chance that we could have had to abandon multiple millions worth of equipment in the hole, had the worst case scenario come to pass.

My most formal experience with science was during Year 12 back in 2004 in South Africa, where I studied Chemistry. As part of the curriculum, I participated in various practical experiments, including the fermentation of pineapple to produce alcohol. These hands-on activities provided valuable insight into chemical processes and sparked my interest in applied science.

People often imagine a chemist as someone in a white lab coat, wearing safety goggles, surrounded by bubbling flasks and colorful liquids. This image is heavily influenced by movies, cartoons, and science classrooms.

The most obvious compound that stands out is unleaded fuel. Also known as a hydrocarbon, made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms.

The stoichiometric value for a complete combustion is 14.7 kilograms of air, to 1 kilogram of fuel. This ensures all oxygen within the cylinder has combusted completely.

The hydrocarbon is stored in the vehicle as a liquid. Now, even though the hydrocarbon is extremely volatile, it will not ignite as a liquid, and must be converted to a vapor/gas. The unleaded fuel has a low flash point, making it extremely flammable. Pressurizing the fuel with the use of a fuel pump, and the use of injectors for each cylinder, fuel is sprayed into the cylinder as fine particles/gas, then ignited with a spark.  

Without going off track, the after affect of this chemical reaction converts to mechanical energy. If we have complete combustion, we have an engine that will run efficiently.

If we do not have complete combustion, we need to understand if we have a lean mixture of more air than fuel. Or, on the other hand, a rich mixture of less air than fuel.

Some old school mechanics, and engine tuners like to use the term fat and happy, referring to a rich mixture. However, in some cases this has been proven to be incorrect, and cause follow on effects. Opposite to this, a lean mixture can be detrimental to the main components within the combustion chamber. Allowing the oxygen in the cylinder to excessively heat up, causing hot spots that create a follow-on effect of pitting the hardened surfaces within the cylinder.

I’ll keep it short for now, as there are many other areas in which chemistry science exists before we even turn the key.

Regarding the question, I can see a photo of Walter White and now That's the only thing I can think of regarding this question. TV/Media.

When people picture a chemist, or at least how I do, it’s usually someone in a white lab coat, safety goggles, blue gloves, and using long tweezers to dip some element into a beaker of liquid. Then, there’s a big explosion or chemical reaction. That image most likely comes from the media we’ve all grown up with, like movies, TV shows, and cartoons such as The Simpsons. It’s easy to forget, or not even realise, that chemistry is part of everything in daily life, from hand soap to how long my food stays fresh.

It has been over 25 years since I worked with Chemistry. At the time I really enjoyed it and was working in a paint industry manufacturing various resin, mostly epoxy and polyurethane resins.

It feels nostalgic coming back to Chemistry after such a long time.

I have studied and worked with people who absolutely love Chemistry and also have friends who find it intimidating. Never the less science/chemistry is all around us and we- the carbon based life form would not be here without chemistry.

I think the everyday person likely considers someone that is a chemist probably wears a white lab coat and works at chemist warehouse. I believe a chemist/chemistry is someone who has a deeper understanding and utilises their knowledge of the elements and compounds to get a desired outcome. A good example of this in Australia would be ore purification in the mining industry.

I think the everyday person pictures chemistry, as many people have already pointed out, the stereotypical lab-coat and laboratory setup "mad-scientist" style. Either that, or just a general pharmacist.

When the everyday person thinks of chemistry or a chemist I believe they think of lab coats and powders. Maybe they have visions of beakers and magic potions that explode! Chemistry is a very important aspect of science in our everyday lives including food science and material science.