Challenges in teaching thermodynamics for biotechnology engineering students
Praphulla Rao1,*, Prathibha N2
1,2 B M S College of Engineering, Bangalore, Karnataka
* Corresponding author. Tel: +91 9036471963, E-mail: praphulla.rao@gmail.com
Abstract—The disciplines of physics, biology, and chemistry have adopted highly diverse approaches and strategies on thermodynamics education. Many studies have addressed the problems in making the students understand the fundamentals in thermodynamics. Students tend to memorize the equations without the knowledge of their applications and therefore forget them soon after their exams. This paper talks about the challenges of teaching thermodynamics course to biotechnology students. It also highlights some of the teaching learning methods adopted in some universities in order to make the students develop interest and
…show more content…
b) A. Comprehend the P-V-T behaviour of pure fluids and solve related problems. B. understand heat effects in chemical reactions and solve related problems.
c) Solve problems related to properties of pure fluids and solutions.
d) Apply the concept of phase equilibria, reaction equilibria and energetics in the biochemical engineering problems.
Internal Assessment questions are mapped to corresponding course outcomes (CO) and course end survey is conducted for the students. Based on this, final CO attainment is calculated. Results for last two consecutive years are shown in the Fig.3.
There is increase in CO 1 and 2 attainments from 2013 to 2014 batch. Extra tutorial classes were conducted to improve the performance for the topics related to laws of thermodynamics. Concepts related to the laws of thermodynamics are easy compared to the property of fluids, phase equilibrium and reaction equilibrium.
Fig.3. Attainment of CO’s for year 2012-13 and 2013-14
VI. WIKSATE- SOCIAL LEARNING
Thermodynamics is essentially how heat energy transfers from one substance to another. In “Joe Science vs. the Water Heater,” the temperature of water in a water heater must be found without measuring the water directly from the water heater. This problem was translated to the lab by providing heated water, fish bowl thermometers, styrofoam cups, and all other instruments found in the lab. The thermometer only reaches 45 degrees celsius; therefore, thermodynamic equations need to be applied in order to find the original temperature of the hot water. We also had access to deionized water that was approximately room temperature.
Hess’s Law is also an important concept in this lab. It states that the enthalpy of a reaction is independent of the steps it takes to go from reactant to a product. It happens because enthalpy is a state function. A state function depends on the initial and final state but not the actual process. The Hess’s Law is used to calculate the heat formation of Magnesium Oxide. The amount of heat necessary to create one more mole of a substance is called the Enthalpy of Formation.
This book ties into our first semester of learning about chemistry. Learning how things react with each other played a huge role in his experiment. Learning the charges and what each type of atom does is very important when working in this field. Being able to do the equations of heat transfer and how the heat transfers connects to the type of things David had to know and what he encountered. Many concepts that were learned by David were also learned by our class this year. A large amount of the things we did tie into this book but David did it in a larger scale and took it a little bit further.
Smith, Roland. Conquering Chemsitry: HSC course. 4th ed. Vol. 1. N/A: Cengage Learning Australia, 2010. 74-90. 1 vols. Print.
Thermodynamics is defined as “the study of heat transfer and its relationship to doing work.” Specifically, it is a field of physics that has to do with “the transfer of energy from one place to another or from one form to another” (Drake P.1). Heat acts as a form of energy that equates to a total amount of work. Heat was recognized as a form of energy around the year 1798. Count Rumford (Sir Benjamin Thompson), a British military engineer, observed that “numerous amounts of heat could be generated in the boring of cannon barrels” (Drake P.1), which is where a cannon’s firing port is enlarged using a drill and immense amounts of heat to make the metal malleable. He also observed that “the work done in turning a blunt boring tool was proportional
I believe that the most important thing in teaching and learning is to insure the future success of the students. That’s why I am committed to placing the needs of the learner at the centre of everything I do. My teaching goal is to link course performance with the development of general learning skills, general chemical science skills, and specific subject matter skills.
The purpose of the experiment is to identify and understand reactions under kinetic and thermodynamic control. A reaction under kinetic and thermodynamic control can form two different types of products. A reaction under kinetic control is known to be irreversible and the product is formed quickly. A reaction under thermodynamic control is known to require rigorous conditions. It is also reversible. The final product is more stable than the product made by kinetic control. The chart below shows the two types of reaction coordinates:
Thermodynamics is the branch of science concerned with the nature of heat and its conversion to any form of energy. In thermodynamics, both the thermodynamic system and its environment are considered. A thermodynamic system, in general, is defined by its volume, pressure, temperature, and chemical make-up. In general, the environment will contain heat sources with unlimited heat capacity allowing it to give and receive heat without changing its temperature. Whenever the conditions change, the thermodynamic system will respond by changing its state; the temperature, volume, pressure, or chemical make-up will adjust accordingly in order to reach its original state of equilibrium. There are three laws of thermodynamics in which the changing system can follow in order to return to equilibrium.
The first law of thermodynamics is that heat is work and work is heat. Energy can’t be created or destroyed but it can be converted from one form to another form. First law of thermodynamics would be eating food. Humans turn food into chemical energy and humans need that energy to keep functioning. The second law of thermodynamics is heat can only transfer to colder objects not hotter objects. An example would be ice melting in a cooler. The coldness from the ice doesn’t leave the cooler, instead the heat transfers into the cooler to melt the ice. The third law is that the work or energy put in is equal to the work out plus heat. Some heat energy will always be wasted, such as a computer giving off heat. Using the first law, when the energy is transferred from one form to another, there will always be wasted heat because of the second law. This is because the energy is converted from a useful form to a less useful form. The less useful form is heat.
Thermodynamics is the study that shows the relevance between the work and the heat. Thermodynamics has 2 laws. The first law declares that the heat and the work are mutually interchangeable. The second law states that a entropy of a secluded regulation can never decrease, because the secluded regulation always develops toward the equilibrium thermodynamic. These two laws attitudinize the process of a heat engine.The first law is the implementation of the preservation of energy to the regulation. The second law defines the potential eligibility of the machine and guidance of the energy flow.
I was fortunate enough to take Advanced Placement Chemistry. During my time in this class, I learned a great deal about this expansive subject. Though very hard and challenging, this class was very rewarding. My High School does not offer many classes that involve critical thinking on a college level. Throughout the course, I realized how extremely interesting chemistry really was. I learned in depth electron transport, equilibrium constants, and thermodynamics. Learning how complex some simple everyday occurrences are was fascinating. The burning of a candle may seem simple from the view of a naked eye. On a chemical stand point, it is complex as a rocket taking off. Everybody knows that if you run an electrical current through water, you will be electrocuted. However, this is only due to the electrolytes dissolved in the water providing a road of positive and negative charges for the current to flow. Pure water does not allow for the flow of a current because there are no electrolytes. To me, learning on such a small scale is more enjoyable than learning on a regular or large scale. The small scale of chemistry affects everything on the regular and large scale. The importance of chemistry is what makes it so
I have ensured that I meet my students’ science needs by assuring that the material needed to be cover in the class was covered. Furthermost, the students are able to learn from exploring, which is different from teaching the students how to and giving them the information needed. The students were still able to learn the material needed to be covered by discovering the content.
Chemical engineering consolidates maths and chemistry, which is one of the main reasons I was first attracted to studying it. Mathematics has helped me approach problems in an analytical and rigorous way, formulating theories and applying them to solve problems. I particularly...
The growing relevance of Chemical Engineering in today’s world, from energy & oil industries to pharmaceuticals & biotechnology, and a keen desire for applying this knowledge in interrelated spheres motivates me to pursue a Master’s degree in this field. My interest in science goes back to the time when I was in school. We had a young and enthusiastic teacher who took us on field trips and visits to science fairs and museums. This nascent interest has only burgeoned through my years in school and high school, as I have learnt more about the subject. In the long run, I see myself as a part of a leading research group, either as a faculty member or in the R&D department of an organisation contributing my bit to the field of Chemical Engineering. As a research scientist, I hope to make a difference in this field and learn more through the innovative challenges.
One of the widest used methods is learning through discovery. Discovery is finding out information using hands on experiments. The children can discover what happens in science and why. They answer the problems for themselves. They use their schema, prior knowledge of science, to search for information. The cycle of scientific discovery is first a question or series of questions are raised. Second, through a discussion a problem is identified and narrowed so that the kids can solve the problem. Third, with the assistance of the teacher, the children propose a way of looking at the problem and then collect the...