Course Outline – NATS 1810 6.

0 – Energy – FW 2023-24

Lecture Tuesday 5:30 PM–6:50 PM VH 1152A

Thursday 5:30 PM–6:50 PM VH 1152A
Office Hours Wednesday 5:30 PM–6:30 PM via Zoom link on eClass

Instructor A. Kumarakrishnan (Kumar),

(Fall term) Department of Physics and Astronomy
Office PSE 252 (x 77755), Laboratory PSE 107 (x 20392)

Website http://datamac.phys.yorku.ca
http://www.physics.yorku.ca

Email [email protected]
Email should be used only for occasional clarifications relating to the schedule and
organization. It will not be possible to answer technical questions via e-mail.

Instructor Banafsheh Hashemi Pour ([email protected])

(Winter term) Division of Natural Science

Format Lectures will be presented in person (see course calendar on pages 5-8 for
schedule). Lecture notes will be posted on eClass before each lecture. Lectures
will not be recorded. So, it will be extremely important to ask questions, engage in
discussions, and take notes. The course consists of 8 units, each consisting of 6
class hours. Each unit involves four lectures, a review session, and a unit test.
Weekly office hours will be held remotely using the Zoom link provided on
eClass. Solutions to homework and tests will be discussed during office hours.

There will be eight in person unit tests, which are the only graded components.
The format for unit tests will be open book and open (hardcopy) notes from
this edition of the course. Hardcopies of tests are not allowed. Calculators are
allowed but internet access, cell phones, computers, tablets, and digitized notes
are not allowed. The work submitted must be carried out independently with no
consultations. Please be aware that plagiarism is a serious offence with severe
penalties. Submissions must be in your own handwriting. Teaching Assistants
(TAs) will grade unit tests. Students are not allowed to negotiate special
arrangements with TAs-they must contact the instructor. Questions about
grading should be directed to designated TAs as per instructions on eClass.

Academic Integrity Plagiarism in any form is a serious offence with severe penalties. All work
submitted must be carried out independently. Students are required to visit the
Academic Integrity web site at York University
https://spark.library.yorku.ca/academic-integrity-what-is-academic-integrity/
and complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial. After completing the tutorial,
print out the Academic Integrity Checklist. A completed (all boxes ticked) and
signed Academic Integrity Checklist should be attached to Unit Test 1 (see
pages 5-8 for test schedule). Tests will receive a grade of zero if the completed
checklist is not submitted.

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Other Obligations Please note that course material is protected by an Intellectual Property Agreement-
it should not be shared on external platforms.

Textbook Richard A. Dunlap, Sustainable Energy,

(SI Edition, 2nd Edition, Cengage Learning 2019, ISBN-13: 978-1-337-55167-0)

Course Content Selected topics from Chapters 1-21 (see page 3) covered in 8 units

Course Grade The course grade will be based entirely on eight equally weighted unit tests (each
worth 12.5%). Four unit tests will be held during the fall term, and four unit tests
will be held during the winter term (see course calendar on pages 5-8 for dates).
Course scores will be rescaled minimally at the end of the term. This rescaling
exercise will ensure that students are not trapped on grade boundaries.

Unit Tests There will be eight, 80-minute unit tests on specified dates (see course calendar on
pages 5-8). There will be no makeup unit tests and the grade for a missed unit
test is zero. The course grade will be calculated based on the maximum
number of points for six unit tests. For example, if each unit test is worth 100
points, and a student obtains 50/100 on all eight unit tests, the student’s raw score
("#×%&'##)
will be %##
. In this scheme, the student’s rescaled course grade will be
("#×%&'##)
calculated as )##
. Note that if the same student misses a unit test, the raw
score will be 350/800 and the rescaled score will be 350/600. Therefore, there is
an incentive for attending all unit tests and doing as well as possible on each
test. This rescaling procedure is intended to ameliorate the impact of poor
performance on unit tests or absences. It is also worth noting that the score for
obtaining a passing grade is 300 (50%) and the score required for obtaining an A is
480 (80%). Graded tests will be returned by the instructor at the end of class.

Homework Each unit will include a homework assignment and involve 6 lecture sessions,
consisting of 4 lectures, a review session, and a unit test. Homework problems will
be assigned in connection with each lecture. Answers to homework problems will
be discussed during office hours and during the review session prior to each unit
test. Homework problems will serve as practice for unit tests. There will be no
homework submissions.

Office Hours The instructor will be available during weekly office hours in remote format (see
Zoom link on eClass). To connect, please use Passport York login credentials.

Accommodations Students with letters of accommodation on file must inform the instructor. These
students will be allotted extra time by the exam centre administering unit tests.

Handouts Class handouts such as lecture notes and homework problems will be available
through the eClass page.

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 Lecture Topics

Units Chapters in Content

Textbook
Fall Term
Unit 1 1 Units and Dimensions of Physical Quantities,
Lectures 1-4 Work, Energy and Power, Energy Consumption
Lecture 5-Review Session 1 Patterns, Forms of Energy, Law of Conservation of
Lecture 6-Unit Test 1 Energy. Potential Energy, Kinetic Energy
Unit 2 11, 2 Energy Flow in Electrical Circuits, Chemical
Lectures 7-10 Energy, Electrical Power Generation, Power
Lecture 11-Review Session 2 Transmission, Technology for Power Generation,
Lecture 12-Unit Test 2 Hydroelectric Energy
Unit 3 1, 2, 3, 20 Model of Resource Utilization, Exponential
Lectures 13-16 Growth, Fossil Fuels, Hydrogen as an Energy
Lecture 17-Review Session 3 Source
Lecture 18-Unit Test 3
Unit 4 4 Heat Energy, Laws of Thermodynamics, Heat
Lectures 19-22 Engines and Heat Pumps, Environmental
Lecture 23-Review Session 4 Consequences of Fossil Fuel Use, Pollution and
Lecture 24-Unit Test 4 Pollution Monitoring, The Greenhouse Effect,
Climate Change, Mitigation Strategies,
International Climate Change Initiatives
Winter Term
Unit 5 5, 6, 7 Nuclear Energy, Radioactivity, Nuclear Reactions,
Lectures 25-28 Nuclear Power Generation and its Carbon
Lecture 29-Review Session 5 Footprint, Fission Reactors, Risk Assessment,
Lecture 30-Unit Test 5 Waste Disposal
Unit 6 8, 9 Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Heat Transfer,
Lectures 31-34 Heat Storage, Solar Thermal Power Generation,
Lecture 35-Review Session 6 Solar Voltaic Power Generation, Photovoltaic
Lecture 36-Unit Test 6 Devices
Unit 7 10, 12, 13, 14, Wind Energy, Wind Turbines, Wave Energy, Tidal
Lectures 37-40 15, 16 Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy, Geothermal
Lecture 41-Review Session 7 Energy, Ocean Salinity Gradient Energy
Lecture 42-Unit Test 7
Unit 8 17, 18, 19, 21 Biomass Energy, Environmental Impact of
Lectures 43-46 Biofuels, Efficient Utilization of Energy, Smart
Lecture 47-Review Session 7 Grids, LEDs, Heating and Cooling Efficiency,
Lecture 48-Unit Test 8 Energy Storage, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, New
Sources of Energy-Fusion

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 Course Learning Outcomes

Students can expect to gain an introduction to underlying physical principles relevant to energy in all its
forms, develop the ability to make well informed quantitative arguments about the utilization of energy
based on data, counter misinformation, and combat numerical illiteracy.

The course will involve simple physical concepts related to energy that will be repeated during all eight
units of the course using an open book, open notes format.

Students will learn to use and interpret simple equations and predict scaling arguments and trends
relating to energy, often by plugging in numbers using calculators.

Students will become familiar with the interpretation of graphs, units of energy, conversion of energy
units, and their expression on different scales.

The instructor will provide considerable support for solving homework problems during office hours
and review sessions.

By the end of the course, students can expect to be able to solve a variety of seemingly complex problems
at such as

1) Describing the world’s energy consumption patterns, and predicting the availability of energy in
different forms

2) Understanding the principles of power generation, the nature of power plants, their operating
patterns, and their efficiency

3) Calculate the energy content of fossil fuels, estimate the carbon footprint of fossil fuels, quantify
greenhouse gas emissions and impact on climate change, infer the carbon storage of forests, and
track the impact of emission standards.

4) Learn principles of radioactivity and quantify the fuel requirements of nuclear power plants.

5) Understand the details of renewable forms of energy such as solar, wind, wave, tidal, ocean
thermal, geothermal and biomass.

6) Learn about practical methods for the storage and efficient utilization of energy including the
reliance on electric vehicles.

Strategies: Unit tests will be based on concepts covered in lectures, review sessions, homework
assignments, and appropriate sections of the textbook. Unit tests will consist of problems that are similar
to homework problems. Homework problems will be reviewed on multiple occasions during office hours
and review sessions. It is important to be able to develop the fluency to work through homework
problems independently using calculators.

Note: Some students will perceive the math requirements for this course as being trivial. For others, the
math requirements may pose a significant challenge. Course learning outcomes will depend on the extent
to which students are able to work through homework problems. During the last three years, students who
have taken all the tests have invariably passed the course, mostly with grades of A or A+.

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 Course Calendar

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN

August 28 29 30 31 September 2 3
1
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Fall Term Lecture 1
Classes
Commence

11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Lecture 2 Office Hour Lecture 3

18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Lecture 4 Office Hour Lecture 5-
Review Session
1
25 26 27 28 29 30 Octo
Lecture 6-Unit Office Hour Lecture 7 ber 1
Test 1
Submit
Academic
Integrity
Checklist
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Lecture 8 Office Hour Lecture 9

9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Thanksgiving Fall Reading Fall Reading Fall Reading Fall
Fall Reading Week-No Week-No Week-No Reading
Week-No Classes Classes Classes Week-No
Classes Classes
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Lecture 10 Office Hour Lecture 11-
Review Session
2

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 Course Calendar (continued)

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN

23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Lecture 12-Unit Office Hour Lecture 13
Test 2
30 31 November 1 2 3 4 5
Lecture 14 Office Hour Lecture 15 Clocks
Back
1 hour
6 7 8 9 10 121 12
Lecture 16 Office Hour Lecture 17-
Review Session
3
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Lecture 18-Unit Office Hour Lecture 19
Test 3

20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Lecture 20 Office Hour Lecture 21

27 28 29 30 December 2 3
Lecture 22 Office Hour Lecture 23- 1
Review Session
4
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lecture 24-Unit Fall Term
Test 4 Exams Begin
Fall Term
Classes End
11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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 Course Calendar (continued)

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN

January 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Winter Term Lecture 25 Office Hour Lecture 26
Classes
Commence
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Lecture 27 Office Hour Lecture 28

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Lecture 29- Office Hour Lecture 30-Unit
Review Session Test 5
5
29 30 31 February 1 2 3 4
Lecture 31 Office Hour Lecture 32

5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Lecture 33 Office Hour Lecture 34
Drop Deadline

12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Lecture 35- Office Hour Lecture 36-Unit
Review Session Test 6
6
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Winter Reading Winter Reading Winter Reading Winter Reading Winter
Week-No Week-No Week-No Week-No Reading
Classes Classes Classes Classes Week-No
Classes
26 27 28 29 March 1 2 3
Lecture 37 Office Hour Lecture 38

4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lecture 39 Office Hour Lecture 40 Clocks
Fwd
1 hour

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 Course Calendar (continued)

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN

11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Lecture 41- Office Hour Lecture 42-Unit
Review Session Test 7
7
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Lecture 43 Office Hour Lecture 44

25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Lecture 45 Office Hour Lecture 46 Good
Friday-No
Classes
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Lecture 47- Office Hour Lecture 48-Unit
Review Session Test 8
8
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Winter Term Winter Term
Classes End Exams Begin

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28