HELP 2021-2022 Cal State East Bay Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG] Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window) Facebook this Page (opens a new window) Tweet this Page (opens a new window) Add to Folder (opens a new window)

PHYS 107 - Science of Energy

1. Outcome 1: A. The scientific concept of energy will be introduced and discussed. Distinctions will be made between scientific definitions and common usage. Important ways to classify energy will also be introduced - classification itself being a central manner of organizing thought. B. Conservation of energy is one of the most fundamental physics laws in the universe. The law of conservation will be used to highlight the real issue of finite resources for energy production, and to illustrate the fundamental nature of scientific theories and laws - and how they have stood the test of time and multiple experiments. C. The fundamentals of thermodynamics will be used to explain weather patterns, motors and power generation. Thermodynamics is also critical to the idea that some forms of energy are more useful than others, which ties nicely back to the second content point, conservation of energy. D. Basic mechanics will be introduced at a level necessary to connect mass and motion to energy, and to understand why fuel efficiency goes down as speed increases. E. Electricity and magnetism will be used to explain the entire electric grid, from how motion of water or steam is used to produce electricity to how it is delivered to households. F. The structure of the nucleus and the concept of binding energy are critical to understanding how both fission (currently 22% of CA’s energy supply) and fusion work/could work. G. A conceptual understanding of atomic energy levels and the nature of semi-conductors is introduced in the discussion on photo-voltaics and fuel cells.
2. Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate the application of quantitative skills to physical science problems by making basic calculations and order-of-magnitude estimates concerning limits on the world’s population, energy production by various sources (fossil fuels, nuclear, solar), future world energy needs, and the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth. Effort will also be made to make clear to students that in the scientific world many of our laws are stilled called “theories” based on convention, not any weakness on the part of the theory. The focus on quantitative literacy begins on the very first day of class with a series of graphs that show the country and world’s energy resources and uses in various manners. Students see how graphs change shape as energy consumption is plotted next to consumption per capita or consumption per GDP (gross domestic product). We discuss who would present data in which ways and why so often energy debates are not about who’s right and who’s wrong, but about perspectives, values and consequences. Six problem sets throughout the quarter will give the students practice solving quantitative problems. These problems will require students to combine quantitative examples with their conceptual understanding of the basic science content listed in Outcome 1. The papers will require students to seek out and obtain real-world data about various methods of power production. They will have to organize all the data they find, analyze, and discuss its significance. Basic mathematical skills that will be covered in the class include arithmetic and algebra, ratios and percents, exponential growth, multiplicative growth, and statistical fluctuations and trends.
3. Outcome 3: Students will demonstrate a general understanding of the nature of science by evaluating scientific claims about energy production, learning about and applying the scientific method for addressing scientific questions about energy production and use, and differentiating between the scientific problems related to energy and the social, political, and cultural problems related to energy. Since energy is such an interdisciplinary topic, there are numerous places to clarify where the science stops and the economics/politics/value judgments start. In early discussions we will work, as a class, to classify various passages in an article, distinguishing facts from assumptions from values. We will also look at where that facts or data are coming from, and discuss the scientific method of designing experiments - or even surveys. In exploring how much oil is left we will examine data from various agencies, discuss how the data were collected, uncertainties in data collection, and how measurements can always be repeated. We can then discuss the various assumptions that have been made when interpreting the data. The focus on the fundamental laws of thermodynamics as they relate to energy, will facilitate a discussion on how these concepts became accepted “laws” and the variety of experiments that have verified these relationships. A bit of historical context will be provided to provide an example of a scientific theory standing the test of time. Pseudoscience will be touched on during a discussion of perpetual motion (or lack there-of).

1. Demonstrate knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about the physical sciences;
2. demonstrate an understanding of scientific practices, including the scientific method; and
3. describe the potential limits of scientific endeavors, including the accepted standards and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

1. identify the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, either in general or in relation to a specific problem;
2. analyze interactions between human activities and natural systems;
3. describe key threats to environmental sustainability; and
4. explain how individual and societal choices affect prospects for sustainability at the local, regional, and/or global levels.