Phys 105           Energy and the Environment          Spring 2012

Text: Energy and the Environment by R. A. Ristinen and J. J. Kraushaar 2nd Ed.(John Wiley 2006)

Professor: Dr. Mesgun Sebhatu. Office: Sims 203  Tel. (803) 323-4935. E-Mail: sebhatum@winthrop.edu

Office Hours: MWF 10-10:50 or  by appointment

Brief Course  Description: PHYS 105 a one-semester course that covers the fundamentals of, energy, surveys energy resources, energy utilization (past, present and future) and points out the impact on the local and global environment. The aim is for students to be aware of the important role energy plays in a technological society and the associated environmental effects and resource limitation problems. The course is largely descriptive and is primarily intended for non science majors. However, a scientific calculator and knowledge of high school algebra will be necessary. Videos that address energy and environment related topics will be shown in class and students will be required  fill out questionnaires as they watch the videos. The questionnaires are collected at the end od the video session and graded. Students in this course will also be required to use the Internet and access the energy and environment related web sites to supplement the material covered in the book and the lectures. 

Course Objectives: The major objectives of the course are to provide:

·         A basic understanding of the fundamentals of energy (its definition, types, and forms) and usage (past, present and future).

·         A basic understanding of the laws of thermodynamics and how they address energy transformation of heat engines ( machines and living organisms)

·         A thorough understanding of the history, availability, and usage of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and the consequence of their consumption to the environment and climate change

·         An understanding that the search and consumption of abundant and cheap but finite  energy  resources is a major global crisis with consequences to our environment ( the biosphere), global economics and politics

·         An understanding of the environmental and economic benefits of developing renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, biomass etc.

·         An understanding of the economic benefits of conserving energy and reducing pollution using efficient machines and recycling waste products.

·         An understanding of the global environmental issues such as global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain. Be aware of their major causes and the international efforts taken to remedy this serous crisis.

Expected outcome:

·         Phys 105 should equip students with the necessary scientific background and terminology to appreciate and follow in the news media and the WWW issues related to energy resources and the environment.  

·         Phys 105 should enable students to discuss energy and environment related issues that affect society and prepare them to participate in energy policy decisions as knowledgeable citizens.  

·         Phys 105 should make the students conscious as to how their actions—the type of cars they drive (hybrid vs conventional), appliances they use, gadgets they buy (e.g. CFL vs incandescent) affect the environment and the economy.

·         Phys 105 should make the students appreciate the benefits of developing renewable energy resources to global environment and economy. 

 

Tentative Course Outline and Test Schedule

The course is divided into four units. Each unit will have a test and homework. Detailed study guides and home work assignments will be provided for each unit. Students will also be shown videos and they will fill out questionnaires as they watch the videos.

Unit I

(Ch. 0) Units and systems of measurement; scientific notation (powers of 10); Newton's Laws

(more on Newton's Laws)

(Ch. 1) Energy Fundamentals. Video I: The Science of Energy 

(Ch.2) Fossil Fuels. Video II: Energy Choices-A changing Environment 

(Ch. 3) Heat Engines

Study Guide for  Unit1

Test #1:Test on Unit I; Friday , February 10

Unit II

(Ch.4) Renewable Energy Sources I: Solar Energy. Video III: Choices -- Some Brighter Ideas

(Ch.5) Renewable Energy Sources II: Alternatives: Hydro power, Wind Power, OTEC, Biomass, Geothermal, etc.

Study Guide Unit II
Test #2: Test on Unit II; Friday, March   9

Unit III

(Ch. 6) The Promise and Problems and Nuclear Energy;   Video IV: Fallout-Nuclear Energy and Destruction

(Ch. 7) Energy Conservation

Study Guide and Home Work Assignments for Unit III

Test #3:Test on Unit III,  Friday ,April 13

Unit IV

( Ch 8) Transportation: Mostly about automobiles

(Ch. 9) Air Pollution. Mostly About Acid Rain

(Ch. 10) Global Effects: We will focus on Green House Effect ( Section 10.3) and Ozone Depletion (Section 10.2)

Three short movies about 20 min. long will cover the three important environmental issues that concern our biosphere: Global warming, Ozone depletion and Acid Rain. If Time permits a move  titled "The Endangered Planet" will be shown.

Study Guide for Unit IV

Test #4:Test on Unit IV; Monday  , April 23

A Comprehensive Final Exam on Parts I, II, III, and IV on Tuesday,  May 1, 3:00-5:00 PM

Computation of Final Grades: The best three of the four test grades will be averaged and contribute 60% towards the final grade. Homework, Writing Assignments, Completion of Video Related Questionnaires etc.  will constitute 10 % and the Final Exam will contribute 30%.Assignment of the letter grades depends on the numerical grade distribution. Usually, above 90% is an "A", 85-89 a "B+", 80-84 a "B", 75-79 a "C+, 65-69 a "D+", 60-64 a "D" and below 60 is an "F".

Make Up Tests: A student who misses a test will obtain a "0" for it. As soon as a student contemplates missing a test due to extenuating circumstances, the student should make his/her reasons clear to the instructor. The instructor may make  arrangements for taking the test, preferably early. this is only done when  the circumstance for missing the test is judged to be reasonable by the instructor.  It will be highly risky to contemplate missing a test.


Class Attendance Policy: It is very important that a student attends all classes. The book and selected websites are used as a basis for the course. However, the lectures will include material from outside sources as needed. Videos will be shown in class and there will be worksheets that will be completed as you view the videos . Students who miss classes will be at a serious disadvantage. The attendance policy followed in this course is the same as that which appears in the recent Winthrop University Catalog. Briefly, "If a student's absences in a course total 25% or more of the class meetings for the course, the student will receive a grade of N, F, or U, which ever is appropriate."  The deadline for dropping a course with an "N" is Oct.23. Please read your catalog for details. Students who leave early or come excessively late will be marked absent. If an emergency forces a student to be late or to get up and leave, it is polite and proper to let the instructor know. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and participate in class discussions. However, carrying lengthy conversation, reading or writing materials external to the course during the class period is intolerable and considered disruptive.

Students with Disabilities: Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please contact Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290, as soon as possible. Once you have your professor notification, please let the instructor know so that he/she is aware of your accommodation needs well before the first test or other class activity

 

Student code of Conduct in this course:

·         Come to class on time. Being late not only affects you but it also  disrupts the class.

·         Consuming food and drinks in class is prohibited.

·         You come to class to pay attention to lectures and other supplementary activities . You are not allowed to read material that is extraneous to the course or engage in a lengthy conversation with you classmates. Such activities are disruptive to the  class.

·         If you have questions, raise your hand and ask when you have gotten the permission. If your question is only of interest to you  and requires a lengthy discussion (> 5 min), coming during an office hour or at another appointed time will be more appropriate than taking class time.

·         If you have to use a laptop during class, use it sparingly. If you insist on ignoring all activities and totally concentrate on you laptop, you will be prohibited from bringing your laptop to class. Taking physics notes with a laptop is not practical.

·         Use of cell phones for any purpose in class is not allowed. It is disruptive. to the class. If there an anticipated emergency that forces you to receive a call, let the professor know and you will be allowed to put your cell phone in a vibrate or silent mode and step out to receive the call. This can be done only with prior permission from the professor. 

·         Integrity and honesty are virtues expected form all college students. An ethical behavior such as plagiarizing and  cheating in tests will result in getting a zero  for the work. If this behavior is repeated, you may be withdrawn from the course.

All students are expected to exhibit good conduct and to show respect to follow classmates and their professors. The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the “Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy” in the online Student Handbook (http://www2.winthrop.edu

General Education Science Objectives to be met by this course:

1.    Energy and the Environment incorporates physics, chemistry, geology and biology. Students learn Newton's Laws of motion and the laws of thermodynamics ( to study fuel consumption and the inevitable creation of pollution as exhaust), some basic chemistry (e.g causes of acid rain), photosynthesis (origin of fossil fuels and biomass), basic geology (plate tectonics, extraction of fossil flues) etc. They learn all these so they can understand the availability and consequences of usage of fossil fuels and renewable energy resources. Energy and Environment is a multidisciplinary subject that touches all aspects of science and our lives.

2. Students will be able to explain using the laws of thermodynamics why machines can not be 100% efficient. They will always waste energy. In case of fossil fuels, they will be able to understand as they are burned, they  emit carbon dioxide and other toxic wastes. The will understand that fossil fuels are finite. They will then be able to explain the causes of global warming, acid rain and ozone depletion.

3.     Students will clearly understand the power and limitations of science. They will learn that science and technology as they solve problems also create new problems. e.g, The Industrial Revolution was started by the invention of the steam engine that required fossil fuels. Then cars and power plants followed. On one hand, the benefits of all these is clear. On the other hand, the consequence to the environment has to be realized. The solution is not all that clear. There are issues and limitations that have to be weighed and carefully balanced.  

4.    Energy usage is basic to our lives and technology. We need food (fuel) to survive. Machines need fuel to operate. This has been around since the beginning of time. Students will learn that our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. To help them travel and work they first domesticated animals, then came agriculture and the machinery associated with it. The industrial revolution followed after the introduction of the steam engine. Now we are in the era of electronics and sophisticated means of transportation, communication , manufacture of goods, production of food etc. Our energy usage to accomplish all these tasks is tremendous. The usage of which affects the environment. Clearly energy and the environment affected all human history. Form when we started to use wood for fire to using nuclear power. The course is taught form historical perspective and it spans all era of human history.

5.    They will able to discuss social and ethical contexts of global environmental issues such as global warming , acid rain, and ozone depletion.

6.     Students will able to use their knowledge of energy and the environment  to discuss the consequences and finiteness  of using fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. They will  also be able to discuss the benefits of renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydro, biomass etc. In addition, they will  be able to discuss that  systems such as machines and living organisms  require energy to function and that they deteriorate with time as a consequence of the laws of thermodynamics.

7.     They will be able to discuss how energy has been used in everyday life from pre-historic times to now. They will also be able to discuss how it pushes our technology and scientific knowledge as we try to make our machines highly efficient and environment friendly.

Assessment of test results and student evaluations were used to improve teaching effectiveness and strength of the course. However no formal survey question that target the touchstone objectives were given to the class. THIS WILL BE DON IN THE FUTURE AS PART OF THE COURSE EVALUATION.

Results of every test are closely examined and discussed in class.  The questions missed by most students are especially clearly explained as part of the learning experience.  The multiple choice tests incorporate basic vocabulary and principles they have learned. Monthly tests indicate students do learn. They become sensitive to energy usage and its impact on the environment. They are better able to understand and discuss issues related to  energy and the environment that is discussed in the media. At the end of the semester, student evaluations of the course are read by the instructor and then the comments and data are used to improve the course.

 

Websites Related to this courts

Websites Related to this course

Link to an Environmental Geology Course offered  at U 0f Colorado

(The above figures and info from our text)

Link to an Environment and Energy  Course offered at U of Oregon

(The nuclear energy topic is relevant to PHYS 105)

South Carolina Energy Office

Energy Quest

Adventures in energy

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.nrel.gov/solar/

http://www.eere.energy.gov/