Instructor Information

Instructor: James D. Myers
phone: contact me via email or through Wyocourses	e-mail: magma@uwyo.edu
office: -	office hours: TBA

General Course Logistical Information

Credits:	4
Class meeting times:	TR 8:00-9:15 am, online
Problem session	TBA
Text(s) and Readings:	There is no required or assigned textbook. All readings are assigned based on material on the Web.

Introduction

This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of thermodynamics. We will start with the basic concepts and progressively look at more complex systems. During class, we will derive nearly all of the important thermodynamic laws, potential functions, and relations. If at any time you do not follow something, jump right in and ask questions. While deriving these expressions, I will often call on someone to help with the derivation. I find that this helps to reinforce the material. 

Problem Sets

The only way to develop a thorough understanding of thermodynamics is to work a lot of problem sets. Consequently, there will be a problem set due each week. To help you with these, there will be a problem session each week. Depending on how you want to arrange it, we can do a single, two-hour session or split it into two one-hour meetings at the beginning and end of the week. That way you would have time to work on the problem sets before we meet. Depending on how many questions arise, it may not be necessary to use the entire scheduled problem session.

Problems sets are posted on the WyoCourses class Web site. You will submit your completed problem set via the Web site. This means you will have to use a word processor to produce the work you will submit. Write in complete sentences, explain your work clearly, and label all graphs. If you include files from other applications, e.g. Excel, please explain what they are. Use appropriate chemical terminology in text (SO₄^-2, not SO4--). The equations you will be working with are much more complicated than those that can be routinely handled with the equation editors that ship with most word processors. Thus, you will probably have to find and use a dedicated equation editor application to formulate the complex mathematical expressions you will be using in the problem sets. I use MathType 7 (http://www/dessci.com/en/products/mathtype/?gclid=CNHt_tmb0KMCFRD75wodUVWVuA). The academic price is low ($49.95/yr), it’s a plugin for the Office Suite, and works on both PCs and Macs. You do not need to use this program. There are others out there, but I don’t know much about them. In the past, students have found and used open source equation editors, but I don’t remember what they were. (If you find one and it works well, please let me know so I can inform your peers.) You can submit your completed problem sets as either Word documents (doc or docx extensions) or pdf files. I will annotate them as I grade them and return them to you via the Wyocourses class site. After a problem set has been corrected and returned, you will have access to a detailed answer key on the Web site.

The problems will get increasing quantitative and computationally intensive as the semester goes along. You are probably going to want to use a spreadsheet or mathematical program such as MatLab to do the calculations. Unfortunately, I do not know MatLab so I won’t be able to help you if you use this application. With these programs, you will create various graphs that you will want to paste into your solution document. You can submit supporting spreadsheet files with the problem set, but I won’t look at these unless there is a serious error in your problem solution. Sorry, I will not be able to help you with MatLab coding problems.

The table below shows the tentative problem set schedule for Fall, 2020. Currently, the due date for these problem sets is set for Friday. We will agree on the exact due date of problem sets the first day of class. 

Week of	#	Topic
24-Aug-20		no problem set
31-Aug-20	1	Units & Mathematics I: Background
07-Sep-20	2	Mathematics II: Homogeneous Functions & Some Practice
14-Sep-20	3	Dealing with Heat and Work
21-Sep-20	4	Working with Heat Capacities
28-Sept-20	5	Dealing with Entropy
05-Oct-20	6	Thermodynamic Potential Functions
12-Oct-20	7	Investigating Enthalpy
19-Oct-20	8	Investigating Equilibrium using Gibbs Free Energy
26-Oct-20	9	Compositional Effects: Multi-components I. Molar & Partial Molar Quantities
02-Nov-20	10	Compositional Effects: Multi-components II. Standard States
09-Nov-20	11	Solutions I: Ideal Solutions
16-Nov-20	12	Solutions II. Regular Solutions - Symmetric Binary
23-Nov-20	13	Solutions III. Regular Solutions - Symmetric Ternary
30-Nov-20	14	Solutions IV. Regular Solutions – Symmetric Multi-component

Communicating with me

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are only three ways to communicate with me: 1) during office hours; 2) via email; and 3) by an online Zoom appointment. Perhaps the best way to reach me is via email.

Textbook

I have not assigned a textbook for this class. Thermodynamic textbooks vary greatly in content, style, and clarity of presentation as well as topics covered. Given the breadth and complexity of the subject, no single textbook can do an adequate job. I have found using a lot of different texts is most beneficial. Each provides a different approach to the same topic. I have attached a list of textbooks that I have found to be of varying degrees of usefulness over the years I have taught this course and done my own research. Check them out. One of the best ways of finding a text that might be useful is to go to the library and just browse through the thermo section. You will find it is huge. Also do not hesitate to go back to some of the older texts. You would be surprised at how often you find these are the most useful.

At various times, I will give you a reading list for the current topic of discussion. Generally, these lists will contain many references. I will identify those that present the fundamentals of the topic and that you should read. The other references provide alternative presentations or derivations of key thermodynamic principles, concepts, or equations. They may also present examples of the geologic application of thermodynamic principles we have been discussing in class. Although they may not be immediately useful to you during the course, these articles may be an important source of information later in your professional career.

Thermodynamic Textbooks

• Adkins, C.J., 1983, Equilibrium Thermodynamics, Cambridge University Press, 285 pp.
• Anderson, E. E., 1994, Thermodynamics: PWS Publishing Company, Boston, MA, 761 pp.
• Anderson, G.M., 2008, Thermodynamics of Natural Systems (2^nd edition):  Cambridge University Press, 648 pp.
• Anderson, G.M., and D.A. Crerar, 1993, Thermodynamics in Geochemistry - The Equilibrium Model: Oxford University Press, 588 pp.
• Badger, P.H., 1967, Equilibrium Thermodynamics: Allyn and Bacon, Inc. Boston, MA, 626 pp.
• Bauman, R.P., 1966, An Introduction to Equilibrium Thermodynamics: Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 120 pp.
• Beattie, J.A., and I. Oppenheim, 1979, Principles of Thermodynamics: Elsevier, 329 pp.
• Braun, E., and E.T. Wait, 1967, Programmed Problems in Thermodynamics: McGraw-Hill, 186 pp.
• Buchdahl, H.A., 1966, The Concepts of Classical Thermodynamics: Cambridge University Press, 223 pp.
• Callen, H.B., 1960, Thermodynamics: John Wiley & Sons, 376 pp.
• Denbigh, K., 1971, The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium: Cambridge University Press, 494 pp.
• Fraser, D.G. (ed.), 1977, Thermodynamics in Geology: D. Reidel Publishing Co., 410 pp.
• Greenwood, H.J. (ed.), 1977, Application of Thermodynamics to Petrology and Ore Deposits: Mineral. Assoc. Canada Short Course, 231 pp.
• Kern, R., and A. Weisbrod, 1967, Thermodynamics for Geologists: Freeman, Cooper and Co., 304 pp.
• Mahan, B.H., 1964, Elementary Chemical Thermodynamics: Benjamin Inc., 155 pp.
• McGlashan, M.L., 1979, Chemical Thermodynamics: Academic Press, 345 pp.
• Nordstrom, D.K., and J.L. Munoz, 1985, Geochemical Thermodynamics: The Benjamin/Cummings Co., 477 pp.
• Nordstrom, D.K., and J.L. Munoz, 1994, Geochemical Thermodynamics (2^nd): Blackwell Scientific Publications, 493 pp.
• Oonk, H.A.J., 1981, Phase Theory: The Thermodynamics of Heterogeneous Equilibrium: Elsevier, 269 pp.
• Sage, B.H., 1965, Thermodynamics of Multicomponent Systems: Reinhold Publishing Co., 366 pp.
• Spanner, D.C., 1964, Introduction to Thermodynamics: Academic Press, 278 pp.
• Truesdall, C., 1980, The Tragicomical History of Thermodynamics 1822-1854: Springer-Verlag, 372 pp.
• Wall, F.T., 1974, Chemical Thermodynamics – A Course of Study (3^rd ed.): W.H. Freeman & Co., 493 pp.
• Wood, B.J., and D.G. Fraser, 1976, Elementary Thermodynamics for Geologists: Oxford University Press, 303 pp.

Grade Policy

Your grade for this course will be based on a straight A, B, C, or D grading. In my graduate courses, all students start out with a B. You work your way down by not attending class, not participating in class, doing a poor job on problems, or not even doing the assigned work. Do all or some of these things and you will earn a C or lower for the course. Turn in your problems sets on time, do well on problems sets, actively engage in class, ask thoughtful and insightful questions, and you can work your way up to an A.

I grade problem sets with a check minus, check and check plus.

• A check minus indicates the proper format was not followed, not all the problems on a problem set were attempted, the problem set was significantly late with no prior explanation, not all problems were worked, and/or, most importantly, the solutions to the problems were developed incorrectly and there was a great disparity between your numerical answers and mine.
• A check is earned by attempting all the problems, turning the problem set in on time and at least setting the solutions to most problems up correctly. It also means that you followed the proper format for your problem set submission.
• A check plus is earned when most of the numerical solutions on a problem set matched closely with what I calculated.

To provide a more quantitative foundation for the final grade, I assign a check minus a zero, a check a 1, and a check plus 2. There were twelve problem sets for the semester so receiving all checks would result in a sum of 12. This value is the basis for a B. Above a 12 is an A and below a C.

Problem Sets Submissions

Just like a grant proposal or a manuscript submission, I am going to impose some rules on how your problem sets are formatted for submission.

1. As mentioned previously, all problem set solutions must be typed.
2. A problem solution set must have both a header and footer:
   1. In the header place the problem set # and title at the left margin and your name at the right margin.
   2. For the footer, include the date you submitted the problem set (left margin) and page number formatted as 1 of n. The page number should be placed at the right margin of the page. (Use the footer for this document as your template.)
   3. Use a smaller font size for both header and footer than the main text.
3. Please produce any graphs you need electronically (no hand drawn versions) and paste them into your Word file or pdf document.
   1. make sure your clearly label all graph axes correctly.
   2. axis labels should indicate the quantity being plotted, e.g. DH, and its units, e.g. kJ/mol.
4. Please provide a narrative of how you are solving the problem and work through the individual steps explicitly. As the problems get more complex and extensive over the semester, you will be amazed at how such an approach can improve your ability to solve these complex problems.
   1. Simply printing an answer does not show me how you arrived at that answer.
   2. Also clearly indicate by formatting where one problem ends, and the next problem begins.

General University Policies/Regulations

Student Absence Policy (UW Regulation 6-713)

• Class Attendance: Each student shall attend the lectures, recitations, and laboratories and participate in field work deemed necessary to fulfill adequately the academic requirements of each class. Each instructor, at the beginning of every semester, shall stipulate the attendance policy necessary for satisfactory completion of the course.
• Authorized Absences: For participation in a University-sponsored activity or for unusual circumstances, such as a personal hardship, an authorized absence may be issued to the student by the Dean of Student’s or the Dean’s authorized representative. If a student has been hospitalized, or if the student has been directed by the Student Health Service or the student's private physician to stay at the student's place of residence because of illness, the Health Service medical staff or the student's private physician may issue a statement to the student giving the dates of the student's confinement.
• Recognition of Authorized Absences: All instructors shall permit students who have official authorized absences to make up work without penalty in the classes missed. An authorized absence, however, merely gives the individual who missed the class an opportunity to make up the work and in no way excuses the student from the work required.
• More information: http://www.uwyo.edu/generalcounsel/_files/docs/uw-reg-6-713.pdf.

Academic Honesty (UW Regulation 6-802)

• All members of the University community are responsible for upholding the values of academic integrity. The faculty considers academic integrity a matter of common concern, not merely a private issue between instructor and student. Honesty in all academic endeavors is a component of academic integrity that is vital to the educational functions of the University. Whatever form academic dishonesty may take, the faculty considers it as establishing a student’s failure to demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge and the failure to apply it to an academic endeavor. It is a student’s responsibility to learn the standards of conduct for the performance of academic endeavors; it is an instructor or faculty member’s responsibility to make reasonable effort to make known the standards of conduct for the performance of academic endeavors. Through an atmosphere of mutual respect, we enhance the value of education and maintain high standards of academic excellence. Failure on the part of the student to observe and maintain standards of academic honesty, as hereafter defined, or made known by an instructor responsible for a course or other academic endeavor, requires corrective action as hereafter authorized.
• Academic Dishonesty: An action attempted or performed that misrepresents one’s involvement in an academic endeavor in any way or assists another student in misrepresenting his or her involvement in an academic endeavor. Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:
  • Plagiarism: presenting the work (i.e., ideas, data, and creations) of another, wholly or in part, as one’s own work without customary and proper acknowledgement of sources and extent of use, unless authorized by the instructor.
  • Cheating: using information, study aids, notes, materials, devices, or collaboration not explicitly approved by the instructor. For example: doing a class assignment for someone else or allowing someone to copy one’s assignment; copying from, or assisting, another student during an examination; or stealing, or otherwise improperly obtaining, copies of an examination before or after its administration.
  • Fraud: altering or inventing data, research, or citations for an academic endeavor; fabricating, forging or otherwise misrepresenting to an instructor or an institution one’s past or current academic or professional activities; impersonating someone or allowing oneself to be impersonated for an examination or other academic endeavor; using a ghost writer, commercial or otherwise, for any type of assignment.
  • Violation of Standards: violations against ethical and professional standards required by individual University programs, academic courses, and clinical programs that may result in qualification for entry into a profession that maintains standards of conduct.
  • Multiple Submissions: submitting, wholly or in part, the same academic endeavor to earn credit in two or more courses without explicit approval by all concerned instructors.
  • Interference or Obstruction: interfering with academic efforts of other students to gain unfair advantage for personal academic advancement. Interference may include but is not limited to, sabotage, harassment, tampering, bribery, or intimidation of another student.
  • Complicity: assisting another person in any act of academic dishonesty as defined above.
• Academic Endeavor: Any student activity undertaken to earn University credit or meet some other University program requirement. Examples of academic endeavors include, but are not limited to:
  • Course assignments (written and/or oral, projects, research, exhibitions of work)
  • Exams (written and/or oral, quizzes
  • Clinical assignments (internships, rotations, practical)
  • Presentations (on and off campus)
  • Publications
  • Independent study coursework
  • Plan B papers or projects, theses, dissertations
  • Student media associated with academic credit
  • More information: http://www.uwyo.edu/generalcounsel/_files/docs/uw-reg-6-802.pdf.

Assignment and Removal of the Grade of I (incomplete) (UW Regulation 6-720)

• A grade of I (incomplete) is a temporary grade assigned in those rare instances when no other grade will ensure justice to the student. An "I" given by the instructor should be accompanied by a written authorization setting forth:
  • the reason the course cannot reasonably be completed on time,
  • the tasks which must be performed to complete the course,
  • the date upon which the final grade will be received by the Office of the Registrar and which normally may not exceed 120 days beyond the end of the semester in which the "I" is given, and
  • the name of a substitute faculty member if the instructor does not expect to be available to supervise completion of the course.
  • This information will be forwarded to the student and copies should be retained by the student, instructor, and a substitute faculty member.
• The Dean of Students is authorized to petition for an "I" in the name of a student who has been incapacitated. If a student has suffered a severe medical, emotional, or personal problem, the 120-day limit for completing the course may be extended with the approval of the instructor and the Dean of Students.
• In certain research courses designated to the Registrar by the Dean of the College, the date of submitting the final grade for the course may be set to exceed the 120-day limit at the discretion of the instructor.
• If the final grade for the course is not received by the Registrar by the date in the authorization:
  • the "I" will revert to an "F" for a student who has not graduated in the interim, and
  • the "I" will stand permanently for a student who has graduated in the interim.
• More information: http://www.uwyo.edu/generalcounsel/_files/docs/uw%20reg%20updates%202015/uw%20reg%206-720.pdf.

Disability Statement

If you have a physical, learning, sensory or psychological disability and require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. You will need to register with, and provide documentation of your disability to, University Disability Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, room 330 Knight Hall, 766-6189, TTY: 766-3073.

COVID-19 Policies

During this pandemic, you must abide by all UW policies and public health rules put forward by the City of Laramie (or by Natrona County if at UW-Casper), the University of Wyoming and the State of Wyoming  to promote the health and well-being of fellow students and your own personal self-care.  The current policy is provided for review at: https://www.uwyo.edu/alerts/campus-return/index.html

As with other disruptive behaviors, we have the right to dismiss you from the classroom (Zoom and physical), or other class activities if you fail to abide by these COVID-19 policies.   These behaviors will be referred to the Dean of Students Office using the UWYO Cares Reporting Form for Student Code of Conduct processes (https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?UnivofWyoming&layout_id=5).

Syllabus Changes

I will alert you to any possible course format changes in response to UW decisions about community safety during the semester.

HyFlex, Zoom, and WyoCourses expectations

As with all UW coursework, this course will be educational and useful to you. I will respond to questions, concerns, and feedback in a timely manner. Your responsibilities:

• Give and receive feedback from me and your classmates respectfully and constructively in all interactions. This includes in Zoom chats, on WyoCourses boards, and within physical classroom spaces.
• Actively engage in civil discourse in a respectful manner. Use professional language in all course related forums.
• Communicate professionally. Whenever you send class-related email or messages, please include a clear, specific subject line, and use the body of the email or message to explain the purpose for the email and any attached materials. Conduct yourself professionally.
• Meet assignment deadlines. We expect that you are interacting with course material multiple times during the week.
• Ask for help when you need it. For academic assistance for this course please contact me for available resources. For Dean of Students assistance please see: https://www.uwyo.edu/dos/student-resources/covid-19-student-resources.html
• Please let us know if you notice another student who needs help in our (anonymous) WyoCares referral option (https://www.uwyo.edu/dos/students-concern/index.html).

Information Technology (IT)

If you have any IT related challenges, please contact the UWIT Service Center: https://uwyo.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1940/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=8890

Other University regulations can be found at:

http://www.uwyo.edu/generalcounsel/new-regulatory-structure/index.html.

Course Outline

A tentative outline of course content is presented below. My notes for the class are extremely detailed and are available to you as pdfs from the Web site. I suggest downloading them and reading them either before or after class. If you find errors, typos, mistakes in graphics, etc., please let me know so I can fix them. Thermodynamics is a complex, dense, and, at least in my view, a fascinating subject. I have taught it for over thirty years, and I am still fining typographical, graphical, and even conceptual errors in my earlier prepared notes. At the same time, each semester I teach the course I make new cognitive connections, gain a deeper appreciation for a given principle, or derive a better means of presenting a complex thermodynamic topic or principle. Another suggestion I have for being successful in the class is to take notes during class as you normally would if my printed notes were not available. Do not just rely on the availability of the notes for understanding class content. Alternatively, the availability of my notes may mean that you can use class time to ponder the connections we make and not to write everything done. How you treat lecture will be determined in part by when, and if, you read over the posted lecture notes. Many times, there will be points or connections that I make in class that are not in the prepared notes. Not taking notes during class may mean you will miss them. A particularly useful study technique is to compare your class notes with my prepared notes each day after class. In this manner, you can annotate my notes with your comments from class. In addition to providing you with a complete and permanent set of notes this approach will help you to commit this information to long-term memory.

Introduction

• Introduction
• Thermodynamic Variables
• State Functions
• Thermodynamic Reversibility

Fundamental Laws

• Introduction
• Zeroth Law: Temperature and Thermal Equilibrium
• First Law: Internal Energy and the Conservation of Energy
• Second Law; Entropy and Spontaneous, natural processes
  • Heat Capacities
• Third Law: The Basis for Absolute Entropy

Thermodynamic Potential Functions

• Introduction
• Legendre Transformation
• Basic Thermodynamic Potential Functions: Enthalpy, Helmholtz, Gibbs (free) Energy
• Properties of Potential Functions
• Numerical Calculation of Potentials
• Chemical Potential, Work, and Equilibrium
• Non-differential Potential Forms
• Maxwell Relations
• Coefficients of Thermal Expansion & Compressibility
• Gibbs-Duhem Equation

Equilibrium

• Introduction
• Equilibrium States and Types
• Determination of Equilibrium
  • Extensive Thermodynamic Variables and Potential Functions
  • Intensive Thermodynamic Variables
• Equilibrium Constant

Basic Thermodynamic Summary

Systems

• Introduction
  • Systems
  • Surroundings
  • Boundaries
• Single Components
• Multiple Components

Solutions

• Introduction
• Mechanical Mixtures
• Ideal Solutions
• Real Solutions
  • Regular Solutions

Summary

Thermodynamic Data and Databases

Disclaimer

I reserve the right to make changes to any aspect of this syllabus as the course proceeds. These changes will be announced in class. Substantive changes made to the syllabus shall be communicated to you verbally in class and in writing via Wyocourses.

 

Syllabus hardcopy: GEOL5610 syllabus 2020.pdf