Undergraduate Course: Thermodynamics (PHYS09021)
Course Outline
School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
Summary | **** This course is for Visiting Students who are here for semester 1 only and students from the School of Geosciences; please ensure students are enrolled on the correct instance. Fully registered students and visiting students who are registered for the full year, please see the new course Thermal Physics (PHYS09061). Visiting students who are registered for semester two only, please see course Statistical Mechanics (PHYS09019) ****
An introduction to equilibrium thermodynamics. The First and Second laws of thermodynamics are introduced, along with the concepts of temperature, internal energy, heat, entropy and the thermodynamic potentials. Applications of thermodynamic concepts to topics such as heat engines, the expansion of gases and changes of phase are considered. The Third Law, and associated properties of entropy, complete the course. |
Course description |
* Concepts: State variables and state functions, temperature scales and some useful mathematics.
* Reversible and irreversible processes
* Ideal and non-ideal fluids
* Cyclic processes, heat engines, Carnot's theorem and its corollaries.
* Entropy
* Maxwell relations and analytic thermodynamics
* Phase transitions: discontinuous, continuous, and non symmetry-breaking.
* The 3rd law
* The application of thermodynamics to different physical systems including examples from astrophysics and superconductivity
* Chemical potential and open systems
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Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | None |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 36 |
Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
50 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
80 %,
Coursework
20 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework, 20%
Degree Examination, 80%
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Feedback |
Not entered |
Exam Information |
Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Thermodynamics Dec Exam | 2:120 | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | Thermodynamics Aug Exam | 2:120 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the Zeroth, First, Second and Third Laws of thermodynamics, and use the laws of thermodynamics to solve a variety of problems, such as the expansion of gases and the efficiency of heat engines
- Understand all the concepts needed to state the laws of thermodynamics, such as 'thermodynamic equilibrium', 'exact' and 'inexact' differentials and 'reversible' and 'irreversible' processes.
- Understand the meaning and significance of state variables in general, including the entropy, the enthalpy, Helmholtz and Gibbs free energy, and be able to manipulate these variables to solve a variety of thermodynamic problems.
- Understand the efficiency and properties of thermodynamic cycles for heat engines, refrigerators and heat pumps.
- Understand the meaning of phase diagrams, and be able to construct them from equations of state.
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Reading List
Finn, Thermal Physics |
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Additional Class Delivery Information |
Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged. |
Keywords | Thermodyn,Thermal Physics,Solids,Liquids,Gasses,Engines |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr John Royer
Tel: (0131 6)50 5229
Email: John.Royer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Catherine MacMillan
Tel:
Email: cmacmill@ed.ac.uk |
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