EEE498: What's the Matter with Energy
Textbook: What's the Matter with Energy, by Joseph Y. Hui, Solar Man Press
Spring 2016
Catalog description: What is energy? We tell a story of space, time, matter, energy, and energy conversion. Topics covered include the science of energy and matter, as well as sustainable and renewable energy collection, storage, generation, and usage. We survey inventions for conversion of motion, electric, optics, chemical, and heat energy into each other, including 12 from Solar Man.
Prerequisite: Physics 121 and Physics 131
Who may take course: Junior, seniors, and graduate students in the schools of engineering and sustainability.
Syllabus
Based on book "What's the Matter with Energy" according to its chapter division:
Chapter 1: Energy Matter – matter, spacetime, work, energy, mass energy equivalence
Chapter 2: Five kinds of forces – gravity, electric, magnetic, weak, strong forces
Chapter 3: Five kinds of energies – motion, electric, optical, chemical, and heat energies
Chapter 4: Motion Wonderland – linear, rotational, leverage, fluid, and sound motion
Chapter 5: Electric Wonderland – electricity, motor, and electric heat, sound, and circuit
Chapter 6: Optics Wonderland – light, optics, photovoltaic system, solar thermal system
Chapter 7: Chemical Wonderland – chemicals, fuel, chemical battery, desalination
Chapter 8: Heat Wonderland – thermodynamics, heat engine, heat pump, desalination
Class schedule and format:
Chapters 1-3 each has 11 scientific topics, for example topic 1.1 is the topic "What is matter". A chapter 4-8 each has 15 engineering topics, for example topic 4.1 is the topic "Locomotion". There are 108 topics in the book. Each topic is a 10 minute iPad-Pro video lecture with graphics and animation. Class meets twice a week with 60 minutes of lectures on 4 topics. Each class has a 20 minute test.
Topics: see sample book of table of content attached.
Homework, tests, and term project:
After each lecture is an online homework for which the test 2 lectures later will be based. After each lecture is a multiple choice test of material taught two lectures ago.
Groups of 4 students present a term project at end of semester.
Grading:
Homework: not graded. Tests: best 24 out of 27 scores for a total of 60%. Project: 40%. Final letter grade is based on a scale. No midterm or final. No late tests allowed.