Thermodynamics teaching

J. D. Lewins, ed.. Teaching Thermodynamics, Plenum Press, New York, 1985. 

Partial Derivatives Are You Kidding Teaching Thermodynamics Using Virtual Substance... 

After many years of experience both teaching thermodynamics at university and actually practising it in industry, I have concluded that the most effective way of presenting thermodynamics is to simulate the method that a lecturer would employ in class. When teaching, the lecturer may write important equations and concepts on the board, draw underlines, circle or place tick marks to emphasise important points, draw arrows to indicate relationships, use coloured chalk for visual effect, and erase some parts to write new lines. He/she may even repeat some parts to stress their importance. A book written on paper alone cannot properly simulate the techniques mentioned above. 

When Blackwell approached me about writing this book I was pleased to respond. With many decades of experience in teaching thermodynamics and with an understanding of the need to present the underlying mathematics needed in a palatable way, I felt up to the challenge. Armed with the results of Blackwell s own suvey of both UK and American universities teaching needs in this area the contents seemed pretty self-evident. 

William Schowalter I want to relax Bob Armstrong. At the undergraduate level, if we don t teach engineering when we teach thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and the other so-called core materials, we ve lost the whole battle right there. That s where a good share of the engineering belongs. 

Friedel, A. Murray, R. Using Oxidation State Diagrams to Teach Thermodynamics and Inorganic Chemistry, /. Chem. Educ. 1977, 54, 485+87. 

Teaching Thermodynamic Relations Using a Story and Two-Dimensional Cartesian Coordinate System... 

Job G (1992) Teaching thermodynamics Chemical potential from the beginning. Proc. Taormina Conf, on Thermodynamics, Classe I di Scienze Fis. Mat. e Nat. 70 385 09... 

Despite these diversions, the courses I teach are quite problem oriented. My objective has been to provide a clear exposition of the principles of thermodynamics, and then to reinforce these fundamentals by requiring the student to consider a great diversity of the applications. My approach to teaching thermodynamics is, perhaps, similar to the view of John Tyndall expressed in the quotation... 

Lewins, J., 1985, Teaching Thermodynamics New York, Plenum Press, 517 pp. 

Although many interesting ideas have been proposed to teach thermodynamic concepts at the university level, most of these approaches were not evaluated in a systematic way and therefore cannot be said to be research-based... 

C. A. Liberko (2004) Using Science Fiction to Teach Thermodynamics Vonnegut, Ice-nine, and Global Warming. J. Chem. Educ., 81 (4), 509. 

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