Instructor      Dr. Richard D. PiccardOffice          Computer Services Center 106A Office Phone    593-1017 E-mail          piccard@ohio.eduOffice Hours    By Appointment (M-F, 9-5).  Walk-in assistance may                be available; call ahead, if you can.  Class Hours     Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 8:10 - 9:00 AMClass Location  Bentley 015, except as announced in class

Course Description

Both world population and per capita consumption are increasing exponentially. Burning fossil fuels creates toxic byproducts and also "greenhouse gases" that accelerate global warming. Extractive industries (e.g., agriculture and mining) reduce the natural resources available to future generations.

Matter and energy are conserved, but physical processes transform both into forms less readily useful (thereby "increasing entropy"). We apply this concept of entropy to human activity, critically examining works by advocates of solar and nuclear power, from the viewpoints of, and using the patterns of inquiry of, several disciplines (e.g., history, theology, economics, physics, politics, engineering, biology, chemistry, ethics, and sociology).

In order to provide technical background, we discuss several topics in the physical sciences in some detail, including

• heat engines and heat pumps
• the original engineering, thermodynamic concept of entropy
• the statistical, mathematical concept of entropy
• the thermodynamic properties of light, chemistry, and living things
• the asymmetry of time
• radioactive decay
• ionizing radiation and its effects

The course does not presume that you have already encountered these concepts.

Can we expect solar or nuclear power to "save the day?" Should humanity change priorities to minimize increases of entropy? To what extent can physical principles sensibly be generalized so far? These and other questions provide a focus to our inquiry.

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Texts

There are two required texts:

1. Jeremy Rifkin, with Ted Howard, 1989, Entropy: Into the Greenhouse World, Revised Edition, Bantam. This book is currently out of print, but arrangements have been made through Follett's to re-print enough copies for the course. (The entire book will be assigned; you should purchase this book.)

2. Bernard L. Cohen, 1990, The Nuclear Energy Option: An Alternative for the 90s, Plenum Press. This book is currently out of print, but arrangements have been made through Grade-A Notes to re-print enough copies for the course. (Approximately two-thirds of this book will be assigned -- exactly those parts that Grade-A Notes is re-printing; you should purchase this book.)

In addition to these two required texts, there are a number of other resources that you will use during the course:

• Darrell O. Huwe and Richard D. Piccard, 2004, Notes on Entropy and Human Activity. This 20-page manuscript constitutes the notes for many of the lectures; it is published on-line at

  http://www.ohio.edu/people/piccard/huwe/

  (The entire essay will be assigned.)

• Richard D. Piccard, 2004, Notes on Modern Physics and Ionizing Radiation. This 150+-page manuscript includes the notes for the lectures on radioactivity; it is published on-line at

  http://www.ohio.edu/people/piccard/radnotes/

  (Only about 20% of this book will be assigned. It does include a considerable amount of mathematical and more technical material that will not be assigned. See the specific details in the course announcements page.)

• A bibliography of resources for this course (which does include links to the on-line resources, including those mentioned here) is published on-line at

  http://www.ohio.edu/people/piccard/entropy/bibliography.html

• Other supplemental readings will be announced in class and on-line at

  http://www.ohio.edu/people/piccard/entropy/announce.html

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Prerequisites

Senior standing. If you do not meet this requirement, you will be dropped from this course by mid-quarter. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please make sure of your status as quickly as possible, while you can still add an alternate course.

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Disability Policy

Every reasonable attempt will be made to remove any physical barrier that might hamper the ability of an individual to learn in this course. If you have a physical or learning limitation that would impact your attendance, preparation, participation, or timely completion of assignments, please discuss this limitation with the instructor promptly. The University and its faculty are committed to helping meet your individual needs and to supporting your efforts for a quality education.

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Attendance

You are expected to attend all class sessions. Valid excuses (serious illness, family emergency, etc.) will be accepted. You are expected to exhibit responsible behavior, informing the instructor in advance if you will miss a class (you or a friend must call or see the instructor, or call the department office, or send an E-mail to the instructor, as soon as possible). Depending on the circumstances, such notice sent after the time of the class or exam may be rejected.

A roll call will be taken each class period. Each no-call, no-show absence beyond three will result in a 0.1-letter-grade penalty in your course mark that will be applied after the calculation outlined in the next section. If you are tardy, it is your responsibility to check with the instructor after class to ensure that your presence was noted.

What you get out of this course depends on what you put into it. Experience has demonstrated that an irresponsible approach is a sure path to a miserable outcome.

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Performance Evaluation

There will be three exams: two midterms and a final exam. In addition to the exams, students will also be graded on their formal oral report, on their term paper, and on their class participation. The grading scheme is as follows:

Components              WeightPresentation               10 %Class Participation        10 %Mid Term 1                 10 %Mid Term 2                 15 %Final Exam                 25 %Term Paper                 30 %

Each of these grading components is discussed in more detail below. Your grade for each component will be expressed on a GPA-type scale (4=A, 3=B, 2=C, etc.) and the weights indicated above applied to calculate the course mark.

Presentation

You will make one formal presentation of between six and twelve minutes duration, reporting on a scholarly paper you have chosen with the instructor's agreement. Most of these papers will be ones provided by the instructor, from a list published in advance, so that you can make your choice knowing the available alternatives. The current list is on-line at

http://www.ohio.edu/people/piccard/entropy/readings.html

The number of articles somewhat exceeds the number of students, so that there is an element of choice, but all subject areas will be represented among those chosen.

The primary criterion for evaluating your presentation will be the technical content of your presentation (including accuracy, selection of topics to include or not, and appropriate level for your audience). Secondary criteria for evaluating your presentation will be such mechanical issues as enunciation, quality of visual aids, coordination of the talk with those visual aids, eye contact with the audience, and duration of the talk. See the course announcements page for other tips.

Class Participation

Ensure that all cell phones and pagers are turned off, or are in a silent mode!

Failure to attend the class meetings, or unusually constructive or destructive class participation, will impact your course mark. The evaluation of class participation is necessarily subjective. The evaluation will reflect whether your behavior constituted an effective use of class time for your own learning and for your classmates' learning. For example, asking relevant questions about things you don't already know, and correctly answering other people's questions are both appropriate; monopolizing class time is not.

Roughly once a week (see the tentative schedule, below), there will be discussion of questions (distributed in advance) on the current topics. This discussion will include in-class and electronic opportunities for contributions from each class member. The instructor's tally of participation will be a major consideration in evaluating the class participation component of your course mark. You should consider the questions in advance and come to class prepared to respond to several of them.

Exams

Each of the exams is cumulative, but the later exams will emphasize the material covered since the previous exam. Details will be announced prior to the exams. There will be matching, multiple-choice, and short essay questions. The short-essay questions will often be variations on questions from the class discussions. The progressively increased weighting of the later examinations reflects the greater portion of the course that is subject to examination, and also provides an opportunity for the students and instructor to become calibrated to each other.

• Exam 1 will cover Rifkin, Parts One through Three; Cohen, Chapters 1-4; the Physics Lectures through the week prior to the exam; and the student reports on history, physics, and chemistry readings.

• Exam 2 will cover all of the topics of Exam 1, and will also cover Rifkin, Parts Four and Five; Cohen, Chapters 8-10; the Physics Lectures through the week prior to the exam; and the student reports on biology, economics, and sociology readings, with a somewhat greater emphasis on the later material.

• The Final Exam covers the whole course, with a somewhat greater emphasis on the later material.

Term Paper

The detailed expectations for the term paper will be provided in class and on-line, including an outline of sugested topic categories and a commentary on technical writing. You must earn a passing grade on the term paper in order to pass the course. The primary points are as follows:

• The 30% of the course grade that the term paper contributes will be based on three submissions:
  • 5% of the course grade for an outline of the whole paper (to include the Roman Numerals and capital letters levels), together with a draft version of any two or three consecutive pages, due sixth week Wednesday at the start of class;

  • 5% of the course grade for a complete draft of the whole paper, due ninth week Monday at the start of class; the sooner you bring it to me, the more thoughtful I will be able to be in commenting on it, and the more time you will have to respond to my comments;

  • 20% of the course grade for the final version; in order to more efficiently improve future offerings of this course, you are to submit the bibliography and any other endnotes both printed, as part of the paper, and also as an E-mail message to the instructor; the printed paper, including references, and also the E-mailed references, are both due tenth week Friday at 4:55 PM.

• Penalties for late submissions will be as follows:
  • For the outline and early draft, one-third of a letter grade off if submitted later that same day, before 4:55 PM; one letter grade off if submitted the next day at the start of class; one-and-a-third letter grade off if submitted during the day after it was due, before 4:55 PM, and so on.

  • For the final version, one-third of a letter grade off if the references are not submitted electronically by the deadline. No late submissions of the printed final version will be accepted; instead, I will use a grade equal to two letter grades less than the ninth-week draft earned. Therefore, if your ninth-week draft earned a grade of C+ or worse, you must submit an acceptable term paper by the deadline in order to pass the course. If the references have not been submitted electronically by the time I am ready to submit grades, I will report a grade of Incomplete to the Registrar.

• All three submissions should be typed or computer printed, double-spaced, with a reasonable font and margins. If in doubt, show me some sample pages! (I will, of course, tell you if there are problems with the pages you submit sixth and ninth weeks.)

• Your paper should include
  • a first, separate, cover (title) page that is the only place where your name appears;

  • a second, separate, page with an abstract ("executive summary") of between one-third of a page and one full page, and with the paper's title displayed again at the top;

  • a minimum of ten and a maximum of fifteen full pages of main body text of the paper (i.e., not counting the title page, abstract, figures, bibliography, etc.); the first page of the main body may display page number 1 or may conceal the page number, but the second page of the main body should display page number 2, and so on;

  • a bibliography at the end;

  • appropriate citations within the text that refer to items in the bibliography.

• It should refer to something in Rifkin's book. As you will soon see, this is not a very onerous restriction!

• The bibliography should include at least three on-line and at least three hardcopy (book or periodical) resources that are not listed in this syllabus. Using items from the various bibliographies linked from this syllabus is encouraged. The ambitious student will, of course, find other resources, as well.

• Cite the source by name and year whenever you quote a source or copy a figure. Collect your citations in a reference list or bibliography at the end of the paper (do not use bottom-of-the-page-footnotes).

• On-line resources must be cited with sufficient information to enable the instructor to find them: include the author's title for the document and the complete URL.

• The term paper should present the results of sustained investigation and thought, presented as if the intended audience included your classmates and the instructor. You may present an even-handed exposition on your topic, or a fact-based, reasoned argument in support of a particular position. Your paper will be evaluated on the basis of unambiguous distinction between fact and opinion, and clarity of expression and reasoning to support your opinion, not on whether the instructor holds the same opinion. A few extended quotes may be appropriate, but the bulk of the paper should be in your own words. The primary criteria for evaluating the paper will be the following:
  • the relevance of the topic to the course;

  • the appropriate choices of material to include and to exclude;

  • presented at a level designed to be understandable and informative to your classmates;

  • evident presumption that the reader attended class and paid attention (you may include only limited reprise of text or lecture material, designed to tie your new material to what we already know);

  • inclusion of substantial material beyond the text and lectures of the course, so that we will learn something (and, of course, demonstrating that you have learned something in the process of preparing the paper);

  • making appropriate and effective use of the English language.

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Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is extremely important. Please consult the most recent edition of the "Student Handbook", published by Student Affairs, and the information provide online by University Judiciaries, for further information on the Student Code of Conduct and Academic Policies.

Cheating on examinations, submitting the work of others as if it were your own, or plagiarism in any form will result in penalties ranging from an "F" on the assignment to expulsion from the University, depending on the severity of the offense. If your behavior during an examination presents the appearance of cheating, you will be warned, and may be asked to change seats at that time. This is not a presumption of your guilt, but rather a preventive measure to ensure the integrity of the examination process. Because the range of possible sources is so great that plagiarism cannot always be proved, if your term paper appears to have been plagiarized, the instructor may reject the paper but choose to permit you to write another paper, on a different, approved topic, to get credit for the course.

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Tentative Schedule

DATE    TOPIC/TASK                           Background Readings
Week 11/3     Introduction to World Views                 Rifkin, Part I          Into the Greenhouse World          Deluge and Drought          World Views          The Greeks and the Five Ages of            History:  Cycles and Decay          The Christian World View          Toward the Modern World View          The Machine Age          The Architects of the Mechanical            World View1/4     LISTSERV and Online Resources        Time Line of significant events        History reading assignments1/5    *3 PM - 5 PM Office Hours in CSC 106A1/6     Physics Lecture          Introduction          System, Environment, Temperature          Heat and Work          Conservation of Energy          Reversible and Irreversible Work        Distribute discussion questions for Rifkin, Part One
Week 21/9     Send a one-page E-mail to LISTSERV, before class,          describing your background and interests        Discuss Rifkin, Part One1/10    Introduction to                             Rifkin, Part II          The Entropy Law          Cosmology and the Second Law          Time, Metaphysics, Entropy          Life and the Second Law          Exosomatic Instruments and Energy        Physics Lecture          Definition of Entropy          Heat Engines          Isolated, Closed, and Open Systems          The Statement of the Second Law1/11    Book Review:  A Theory of Justice, by John Rawls        Physics and chemistry reading assignments1/13    Reports from students who read on history        Distribute discussion questions for Rifkin, Part Two
Week 31/16    Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Holiday -- no class1/17    Discuss Rifkin, Part Two1/18    Introduction to                             Rifkin, Part III          Entropy:  A New Historical Frame          History and Entropy Watersheds          The Last Great Energy Watershed          Technology          External Costs          Diminishing Returns of Technology          Institutional Development          Specialization          World Views and Energy Environments          Biology reading assignments1/20    Reports from students who read on physics or chemistry
Week 41/23    Book Review:  Steady State Economics, by Herman E. Daly        Physics Lecture          Examples of the Second Law in action          Counter-current heat exchangers in biology and engineering          Feedback Systems:  stability, responsiveness, and delay        Distribute discussion questions for Rifkin, Part Three1/24    Discuss Rifkin, Part Three1/25    Introduce Nuclear Energy                    Cohen, Chapters 1-4          Nuclear Power          Do We Need More Power Plants?          Environmental Problems with Fossil Fuels          Is the Public Ready for More Nuclear Power?        Term paper rules and suggested topics         Economics reading assignments1/27    Reports from students who read on biology
Week 51/30    Introduction to Nonrenewable Energy         Rifkin, Part IV          The Energy Crisis          Nuclear Fission          Nuclear Fusion          Minerals        Distribute discussion questions for Cohen, Chapters 1-41/31    Discuss Cohen, Chapters 1-42/1     Book Review:  Living Within Limits, by Garrett Hardin        Sociology reading assignments        Distribute discussion questions for Rifkin, Part Four
2/2    *7:00 - 9:00 PM:  Study session Bentley 015
2/3     8:10 - 9:00 AM:  Midterm EXAM in class
Week 62/6     Discuss Rifkin, Part Four2/7     Reports from students who read on economics2/8     Outline of Term Paper, with two pages of          text, due at start of class        Introduction to Understanding Risks         Cohen, Chapter 8        Introduction to Entropy and the             Rifkin, Part V            Industrial Age          Economics          Agriculture          Transportation          Urbanization          The Military          Education          The Environment          Health        Physics Lecture          Using Statistics          Microscopic and Macroscopic States          What is Fair?          Statistical Definition of Entropy          Simulation with coins          Entropy of Mixing2/10    Physics Lecture:  Radioactivity
Week 72/13    Reports from students who read on sociology2/14   Introduction to Nuclear Power               Cohen, Chapters 9 & 10            Plant Costs and Designs        Distribute discussion questions for Cohen, Chapter 82/15   Discuss Cohen, Chapter 82/17    Physics Lecture:  Ionizing Radiation        Distribute discussion questions for Rifkin, Part Five
Week 82/20    Discuss Rifkin, Part Five        Introduction to A New World View            Rifkin, Part VI-A          The Greenhouse Transition          A New Infrastructure for the Solar Age          Third World Development          Domestic Redistribution of Wealth          Values and Institutions in an            Entropic Society        Distribute discussion questions for Cohen, Chapters 9 and 102/21    Discuss Cohen, Chapters 9 and 10        Physics Lecture          Nature of Light          Photon Gas          Emission and Absorption          How do we See?          Entropy of Photons2/22    Introduction to A New World View            Rifkin, Part VI-B          Reformulating Science          Reformulating Education          A Second Christian Reformation          Facing the Entropy Crisis          From Despair to Hope        Physics Lecture          Energy Source in the Sun          Emission by the Sun          Absorption by the Earth          Entropy Balance          Other Long-Term Energy Sources        Distribute discussion questions for first half of Rifkin, Part Six
2/23   *7:00 - 9:00 PM:  Study session Bentley 015
2/24    8:10 - 9:00 AM:  Midterm EXAM in class
Week 92/27    Complete draft of Term Paper,          due at start of class        Discuss first half of Rifkin, Part Six2/28    Introduction to Radioactive Waste           Cohen, Chapters 11 & 12        Physics Lecture          Chemical Reactions          Reversibility          The Third Law          Photons and Chemistry        Distribute discussion questions for second half of Rifkin, Part Six3/1     Discuss second half of Rifkin, Part Six        Book Review:  Normal Accidents:  living with           high-risk technologies, by Charles Perrow3/3     Book Review:  Normal Accidents, by Charles Perrow, continued        Distribute discussion questions for Cohen, Chapters 11 and 12
Week 103/6     Introduction to The Solar Dream             Cohen, Chapter 14        Discuss Cohen, Chapters 11 and 12        Physics Lecture          The Biosphere          Self Organization          Ecology          Extinction          Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and Ozone        Distribute discussion questions for Cohen, Chapter 143/7     Discuss Cohen, Chapter 14        Book Review:  Normal Accidents, by Charles Perrow, concluded        Distribute synthesis discussion questions3/8     Discussion of Rifkin and Cohen3/10    Concluding discussion of Rifkin and Cohen        Class evaluation
3/10    4:55 PM:  Absolute Deadline for Term Paper3/12   *7:00 - 9:00 PM:  Evening Study Session, Bentley 0153/13    8:00 AM - 10:00 AM:  FINAL EXAM in Bentley 015

Dick Piccard revised this on-line version of the syllabus (https://people.ohio.edu/piccard/entropy/rdpsyl.html)on October 17, 2018.

Comments and suggestions are welcome by E-mail to "piccard@ohio.edu"