In this section of the course, we come back to thermodynamics and work through the concept of an ideal gas. Then we introduce energy and entropy in a major extension to energy concepts. Finally, we abandon our experimental methods and introduce the three laws of thermodynamics.
Density, temperature, volume, scientific method. We invoke buoyancy to explain how the balloon rises. They we try to relate air mass to air temperature
Density, temperature, volume, scientific method, errors. By cooling a small balloon, we see that temperature is related to volume when the mass of air is kept constant.
Pressure, volume, graphing, scientific method, errors. In this session, the students see that the volume of a fixed mass of gas gets smaller as the pressure increases.
Temperature, pressure, graphing, scientific method, errors. The students discover that the pressure of a contained volume of gas goes up as the temperature increases and down as the temperature decreases.
Extending a hypothesis, mathematics, graphing, errors, the role of an ideal gas in physics. We use only mathematics to combine the results of the past several class sessions to construct an expression that explains all the observations.
Creating a temperature standard, graphing, errors. Here we discover that we have been cheating all along. The temperature was always defined so that the volume of gas at constant pressure is proportional to the temperature.
Alternate thermometers and their relationship to a primary standard. Definitions, standards, mathematics. We show that at least one other physical phenomena can be reasonably used to define temperature.