NS542: Fluids and Thermodynamics

NS 542/SC 542 Concepts in Physics III:
Fluids and Thermodynamics

Physics content: Fluids and buoyancy, Heat and Specific Heat, and the Laws of Thermodynamics

Philosophy and History of Physics: Development of the concept of Buoyancy, Comparison of historical models of heat.

Physics Education Research: Misconceptions about heat, temperature and kinetic energy.

NS 542 Concepts in Physics III: Fluids and Thermodynamics

Physics Content: This course will explore buoyancy, pressure and fluid flow in the context of Newtonian Mechanics and Conservation of Energy.  The concepts of heat and specific heat will be explored. This will lead to the ideal gas law and thermodynamic processes and cycles as applied to refrigerators and heat pumps.

Philosophy and History of Physics: Readings from Archimedes and Galileo on Buoyancy; Readings on the development of a distinction between temperature and heat; Readings from Maxwell on the development of atomic theory. 

Physics Education Research: Readings on the students understanding and misconceptions about buoyancy, heat and temperature, and the ideal gas law.

Bibliography

Selections from primary sources

Drake, Stillman (1981). Cause, Experiment and Science. (Chicago). University of Chicago Press.
This is a recommended book. This book is available Online for less than $1. Principal cost is shipping.

Einstein, A. (1915). Theoretical Atomism. In The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 4. Princeton University Press.

Heath, T.L. (1953). Works of Archimedes. (New York). Dover.
This is a recommended book. Available Online for about $17 plus shipping.

Maxwell, J.C. (1996) Document 16: Molecules. In Garber, E., Brush, S.G. and Everitt, C.W.F. (Eds.) Maxwell on Molecules. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Selections from secondary sources

Wiser, M. and Carey, S. (1983). When Heat and Temperature Were One. In Gentner, D. and Stevens, A.L. (Eds.) Mental Models. New York:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Toulmin, S. and Goodfield, J. (1962). Lavoisier’s New System. In The Architecture of Matter (pp. 216-222). Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press.
This is a required book for the course.

Brush, S. (1983). VII. Statistical mechanics and the philosophy of science. In Statistical physics and the atomic theory of matter. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press.

Selections from Physics Education Research Literature

Loverude, M.E., Kautz, C.H., and Heron, P.R.L. (2003). Helping students develop an understanding of Archimedes’ principle. I. Research on student understanding. American Journal of Physics, 71 (11), 1178 – 1187.

Heron, P.R.L., Loverude, M.E., Shaffer, P.S., and McDermott, L.C. (2003). Helping students develop an understanding of Archimedes’ principle. II. Development of research-based instructional materials. American Journal of Physics, 71, 1188 – 1195.

Kautz, C.H., Heron, P.R.L., Loverude, M.E., and McDermott, L.C. (2005). Student understanding of the ideal gas law, Part I: A macroscopic perspective. American Journal of Physics, 73 (11), 1055 – 1063.

Kautz, C.H., Heron, P.R.L., Shaffer, P.S., and McDermott, L.C. (2005). Student understanding of the ideal gas law, Part II: A microscopic perspective. American Journal of Physics, 73 (11), 1064 – 1071.