Module No.

1
INTRODUCTION TO THERMODYNAMICS
THERMODYNAMICS
SCI 106

Course Description

This is a four (4) unit course that includes the study of basics of thermal energy,
quantitative descriptions of thermal phenomenon such as temperature and heat, transfer of
energy, relationship between heat and work, thermodynamic processes, laws and thermal effects
on matter and the surroundings. This is also an output- based course with the application of
concepts, laws and principles to day to day activities.

Laboratory work is an integral part of this course. This involves dry (exercises, problem
sets) and wet laboratory activities that are done to confirm the correctness of principles learned.

Total Learning Time: 6 hours per week (1 week)

Overview

This module covers topics from the introduction until the application of concepts of heat
and temperature. It will help you identify the different physicists whose contributions are in the
field of thermodynamics. Basic thermodynamics concepts will be further needed and is
designed to be finished within 6 hours.

Matter – whether solid, liquid, gas or plasma, is made up of particles too small for us
to see. These particles are constantly moving, jiggling and bouncing around. We do not know
what is happening in the molecular level of matter but we do know that the flame from a candle
is hot and thereby we are not allowed to touch it. Similarly, boiling water is hot. Ice on the other
hand is cold and melts when placed on the table after some time. These observation and
experiences give us an idea about heat or thermal energy. We need to understand that our bodies
act like a heat engine having its own mechanism to adapt during hot or cold weather. The foods
that we eat play an important role in our everyday activities because it is where we get the
energy expended into useful work and the energy needed by the body to survive.

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 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students are expected to:

1. construct a timeline citing important concepts, laws, principles, inventions, and

inventors in Thermodynamics

2. describe the different temperature scales

3. convert temperature readings and temperature differences

Indicated content

1. Timeline in Thermodynamics

➢ Concepts, laws, principles

➢ Inventions and inventors/physicists in Thermodynamics

2. Temperature Scales

➢ Centigrade Scale

➢ Fahrenheit Scale

➢ Kevin Scale

3. Measuring Temperature (An Activity)

Discussion

➢ Thermodynamics is one of the divisions under Classical Physics which deals with the
interaction between heat, work and energy.

➢ Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of a body.

➢ Thermometer is a device used for measuring temperature.

➢ Thermal energy is defined as the total potential and kinetic energy of atoms or
molecules of a body.

➢ Important Events:

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1. In the olden times, heat is thought as an invisible, weightless substance known as
caloric fluid.
2. 1650 – Otto von Guericke builds the first vacuum pump
3. 1669 – J.J. Becher puts forward a theory of combustion involving combustible
earth
4. 1679 – Denis Papin designed a steam digester which inspired the development of
the piston-and-cylinder steam engine.
5. 1698 – Thomas Savery patents an early steam engine
6. 1694–1734 – Georg Ernst Stahl names Becher's combustible earth as
phlogiston and develops the theory
7. Galileo was the first to develop a thermometer which has an inverted flask that
contained air with a little water in its long neck along with marking scales wherein
as the enclosed air gets hotter it expands and when it get colder, water rises.
8. 1724 – Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit devised the Fahrenheit scale
9. 1738 – Daniel Bernoulli publishes Hydrodynamica, initiating the kinetic theory
10. 1742 – Anders Celsius devised the Celsius scale
11. 18th century, the existence of caloric fluid was disproved by Count Benjamin
Thompson Rumford, an American military expert. He concluded that heat is from
friction and seemed limitless
12. 1804 – Sir John Leslie observes that a matte black surface radiates heat more
effectively than a polished surface, suggesting the importance of black body
radiation
13. 1824 – Sadi Carnot analyzes the efficiency of steam engines using caloric theory;
he develops the notion of a reversible process and, in postulating that no such thing
exists in nature, lays the foundation for the second law of thermodynamics, and
initiating the science of thermodynamics
14. 1842 – Julius Robert von Mayer makes a connection between work, heat, and
the human metabolism based on his observations of blood made while a ship's
surgeon; he calculates the mechanical equivalent of heat
15. 1843, James Prescott Joule an English physicist proved that a measurable amount of
mechanical energy could always be transformed into definite amounts of heat and
concluded that heat is a form of energy and calculated the mechanical equivalent of
heat.
16. 1847 – Hermann von Helmholtz publishes a definitive statement of the conservation
of energy, the first law of thermodynamics
17. 1848 – William Thomson extends the concept of absolute zero from gases to all
substances and an alternative statement for the 2nd Law and devised the Kelvin scale
18. 1850 – Rudolf Clausius gives the first clear joint statement of the first and second
law of thermodynamics, abandoning the caloric theory, but preserving Carnot's
principle
19. 1854 – William John Macquorn Rankine introduces his thermodynamic function,
later identified as entropy

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 20. 1872 – Ludwig Boltzmann states the Boltzmannequation
for the temporal development of distribution functions in
phase space, and publishes his H-theorem
21. 1906 – Walther Nernst presents a formulation of the third
law of thermodynamics
22. 1974 – Stephen Hawking predicts that black holes will
radiate particles with a black-body
23. Etc….etc…..

➢ The three most common temperature scales are Fahrenheit,

Celsius, and Kelvin. Temperature scales are created by
identifying two reproducible temperatures. The freezing and
boiling temperatures of water at standard atmospheric pressure
are commonly used. (Rankine scale is not commonly used
anymore.)

➢ Remember that : temperature measurements require the wordor

symbol for degree when expressed in the Fahrenheit orCelsius
scale. However, when expressing the difference between two
temperature readings, the unit used is Celsius degree (C0) or
Fahrenheit degree (F0).

The three main temperature scales.

➢ To convert from one temperature scale to another, use the following equations below:
5
➢ Fahrenheit to Celsius Scale : 𝑇𝐶 = ( 𝑇𝐹 − 32) or TC X 1.8 + 32
9

9
➢ Celsius to Fahrenheit Scale : 𝑇 = (𝑇 ) + 32 or TC – 32 / 1.8
𝐹 5 𝐶

➢ Kelvin to Celsius: 𝑇𝐶 = 𝑇𝐾 − 273.15

➢ Celsius to Kelvin: 𝑇𝐾 = 𝑇𝐶 + 273.15

➢ Sample Problems:
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 Example 1. In some parts of Siberia, the temperature often plunges to 90 degrees Fahrenheit
below zero. How many degrees Celsius and Kelvin is this temperature?

Solution:
Given is TF = - 90 0F
Required: TC and TK
TC = 5 (𝑇 − 32)

9 𝐹
= 5 (−90 − 32)
9
= - 67.78 0C
TK = TC + 273.15
= -67.78 +273.15
= 205.37 K

Example 2. A temperature of 10 0C represents 10 Celsius degrees above the freezing point of

water. What is its equivalent in 0F?
Solution:
Given is TC = 10 0C
Required: TF

9
𝑇𝐹 = (0C) + 32
5
= 9 (10) + 32
5
= 18+ 32
= 50 0F

Example 3. The measured minimum and maximum temperatures during a fine December day
were 270C and 300C respectively. What is the temperature range for this day?

Solution:
The two measured temperatures are 270C and 300C. To get the temperature rangeΔT,
simply get the difference between the two given temperatures.

ΔT = 300C - 270C
= 3 C0

Laboratory Activities

1. Timeline in Thermodynamics

2. Changing Temperatures (Please see attached activity sheets)

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 Exercises/Drill

Convert the following temperatures. Show your solution.

1. 270C - 0F 6. 37 K - 0C

2. -2170C – K 7. 5600C - K

3. 800F – K 8. 375K –0F

4. 780 K - 0C 9. 4500F - K

5. -2800C – 0F 10. -250C –0F

Evaluation

Part I.
Matching Type: Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of the correct answer on
the space provided before each number.
Column A Column B
1. popularly known as Count Rumford, a. Otto von Guericke
discovered that heat is a form of energy
2. Made statistical interpretation of the second b. Ernest Rutherford
law of thermodynamics

3. Computed the mechanical equivalent of heat c. Anders Celsius

4.He gave the 1st mathematical version of the d. Benjamin Thompson
concept of entropy
5. Predicts that black holes will radiate particles e. William Thomson
with a black body

6. First law of thermodynamics f. Hermann von Helmholtz

7. Father of Thermodynamics g. Ludwig Boltzmann
8. Built the 1st vacuum pump h. Denis Papin
9. Develop the centigrade scale in measuring i. James Prescott Joule
temperature
10.Connection between work, heat, and the j. Rudolf Clausius
human metabolism

11. Design the steam digester k. Stephen Hawking

12. Extend the concepts of absolute zero from l. Julius Robert von Mayer
gases to all substances

13. Patents on early steam engine m. Nicolas Sadi Carnot

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 14. Theory of combustion n. Alessandro Volta
15. Formulation of the 3rd law ofthermodynamics o. Walther Nernst
p. Josiah Willard Gibbs
r. Thomas Savery
s. J.J. Becher

Part II. Solve the following problems and show your solution.

1. A child’s temperature is 1030F. The normal temperature of human body is 370C. Does
the child have a fever? Find the equivalent in Kelvin scale.

2. A weather report indicated that the temperature in Alaskan city dropped by 540F. If the
temperature was initially 00C, what was the final temperature in kelvin, Celsius and
Fahrenheit scales?

3. What is the absolute zero temperature in Fahrenheit, and in Celsius?

4. Is it possible for a certain temperature of Celsius and Fahrenheit scales be equal? Prove.

Additional Reading

Please read the kinds of thermometer at

https://www.ashtonshospitalpharmacy.com/different-types-of-thermometer/

Guide Question:

1. What are the different types of thermometers? Describe them based on function, origin,
developer and possible price if there is.

References

a. Books

1. General Physics 1 (2017). Arevalo, Ryan. Diwa Learning Systems, Inc.

2. College Physics (2015). Serway, Raymond and Vuille, Chris. CENGAGE
Learning Philippine Edition
3. Physics Fundamentals 2 (2012). Serway, Raymond and Vuille, Chris. CENGAGE
Learning Philippine Edition
4. Physics Principles with Applications (2016). Giancoli, Douglas. Pearson
Education South Asia Pte Ltd.

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b. Website

1. https://www.google.com/search?q=3+temperature+scales&rlz=1C1GCEB_enPH8
86PH886&sxsrf=ALeKk01Bq4zaf3u0Ehxl-
mL3j6rUtb04YA:1593335615058&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=75pkIC1Lb
xzI7M%252CvoX2V42W6SwtaM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-
kTJLTqMDYxMmLAsg0b-TkkvY9nyw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi-
iN_alaTqAhXBfd4KHeffCZcQ_h0wAXoECAoQBg&biw=1350&bih=640#imgrc
=75pkIC1LbxzI7M
2. http://www.eoht.info/page/timeline+of+thermodynamics
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_thermodynamics

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Name: Year & Section: Date: _Rating:
Timeline in Thermodynamics

I. Objectives:
1. Make a timeline of the main events in the history and development in
Thermodynamics
2. Describe the various concepts, principles, gadgets or equipment invented
3. Cite the importance of these concepts, principles, gadgets or equipment in
today's modern world
4. Appreciate the outstanding contributions of different physicists in the field of
Thermodynamics by citing its relevance in one’s life
II. Materials:
Any reference materials for historical developments in Thermodynamics, extra
sheet of bond papers
III. Procedure:
1. Using reference materials, make a summary and time line of the
development of concepts, principles, gadgets / equipment and
discoveries. Add extra sheet/s if necessary.
IV. Data and Observation
Table 1: Time Line for Historical Developments in Concepts, Gadgets/ Equipment/
Discoveries
Date Electronic Gadgets / Discover/ Inventor Importance
Equipment/Concepts

Guide Questions
1. Enumerate and describe some concepts, principles, gadgets / equipment which uses
the concepts and principles of thermodynamics.

2. Who among the physicists is your favorite? Why?

3. Which among the discoveries, concepts, principles or gadgets do you think has the
most significant contribution in today’s modern world? Why?

V. Conclusion

VI. Enrichment
In today’s modern and technologically advanced world, given the chance to make,
invent or develop a device, what would it be and why?

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Name: Course & Year: Date: Rating:
Changing Temperature
I. Objectives
1. Define temperature
2. Describe the three scales used in measuring temperature
3. Measure temperatures of different objects
4. Convert temperature scales accurately
II. Materials
Calculator, pen , digital or laboratory thermometer, tap water, cold water, hot water and
activity sheet
III. Procedure
Part I: Measuring Temperature
Measure the temperature of the following accurately using a digital or laboratory
thermometer (whatever is available):
1. Body temperature =
2. Room temperature =
3. Temperature of the following:
a. Tap water =
b. Hot water =
c. Cold water =
Part II. Temperature of Tourist Destinations in the World

The following tables show the temperature in the Fahrenheit scale of selected places in the
Philippines. Convert them in Celsius and in the Kelvin scale. Use the back portion of your
paper for the solution.
o o
Place F C K
Paris 90
Seoul 75
Tokyo 86
New York 88
Wales 89
IV. Guide Questions
1. What is temperature?

2. Describe the scales used in measuring temperature

3. If you were to visit any of the places mentioned above during the Christmas season, what
would that be and why?

4. It’s summer and you are planning for a vacation. Which of the places mentioned above
would you choose? Why?

V. Conclusion

VI. Enrichment
1. When can you say that someone has a fever?
2. Are you “hot tempered”? What made you to be one? How do you overcome it?
3. Solve the following and show your solution. Use the back portion of your activity paper.
a. The thermometer records a temperature of 80oF. Find its equivalent temperature in
degrees Celsius and Kelvin.
b. The radio announcer said that the temperature today would be 302K. Express this
temperature in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit.
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