PHYS 112 / ENST 115
Energy Technology, Society, and the Environment
Winter Term, 2006
Meeting Time: TuTh, Youngchild 136
Instructor: Matthew Stoneking
Office: Youngchild 110, phone: 832-6724, email: stonekim
Office Hours: or by appt.
This course explores current and emerging technologies for energy conversion (“production”), storage, and use. The environmental and socio-economic impact associated with energy technology will be discussed in the context of limitations imposed by the laws of physics
Energy: Its Use and the Environment, 4th Edition, by Roger A. Hinrichs and Merlin Kleinbach, Brooks Cole Publishing (2005).
Final grades will be based on the following weighted components:
· Final Exam 25 %
· Small Group Project
o Presentation 15%
o Paper 10%
· Midterm Exam 20 %
· Homework Assignments 15 %
· Leading Discussion, Participation, Preparation, & Attendance 15 %
Small Group Project:
Students will work in pairs to prepare a briefing for a policymaker based on a selected energy-related topic. Each group will make a 20 minute presentation and prepare a 5-10 page document on the subject of the brief.
Preparation, Attendance, & Participation:
1. Thursday 5 January: Introduction
2. Tuesday 10 January Mechanics: Work and Energy
3. Thursday 12 January Hydropower, Wind Power
4. Tuesday 17 January Electricity and Magnetism
5. Thursday 19 January Electric Power Generation and Distribution
6. Tuesday 24 January Field Trip to Hydroplant and Substation??
7. Thursday 26 January Thermodynamics and Combustion
Visiting Lecturer: Dan Alger??
8. Tuesday 31 January Fossil Fuels I
9. Thursday 2 February Fossil Fuels II
10. Tuesday 7 February MIDTERM EXAM
Thursday 9 February Midterm Reading Period No Class
11. Tuesday 14 February Light and Solar Power
Visiting Lecturer: Joe Gregg??
12. Thursday 16 February Nuclear Physics
13. Tuesday 21 February Nuclear Power
14. Thursday 23 February Field Trip to Nuclear Power Plant??
15. Tuesday 28 February The Future of Energy Technology
16. Thursday 2 March Recap and Integration
17. Tuesday 7 March Group Presentations
18. Thursday 9 March: Group Presentations
II. Wind and Hydro- Power
III. Electric Power
IV. Thermodynamics and Fossil Fuels
V. Solar Power
VI. Nuclear Power
VII. Recap and Integration