Phy301A: Energy

Basic Information
This course has some other numbers: Phy301 (1 student),
SE308(0 students). Phy301A (150+ students)

Details of Lectures: Total number

of Lectures: about 40

Syllabus Outline:
Outline Basic concept of energy, energy in the
biosphere and human history, fossil fuels, renewable energy, the
Indian situation.
Special Topics:
Topics Global warming and Ice ages, biofuels and their
dangers, nuclear energy and its difficulties, fusion and cold
fusion, fossil fuels and our civilization, peak oil, carbon
sequestration, the problems of wind and solar energy, ...

Lecture plan:
Basic Concepts
Energy in the Biosphere
Energy in Human History
Present: Fossil Fuels
Future: Renewable Energy
The Indian Situation

(2-3 lectures)
(7-8)
(7-8)
(10-12)
(7-9)
(3-4)

Grading scheme:
Two quizzes (10+10 marks), Mid-Sem (40 marks), End-Sem (60
marks), Projects (20 marks), Attendance (20 marks)
Marks for attendance = 20*x*H(x)
where x = (Fractional Attendance 0.6) and H(x) is the Heaviside
step function. Attendance will be taken on a few days randomly.
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Phy301A: Energy

Books/References:
Energy: a beginners guide by Vaclav Smil, Oneworld publicaions,
Oxford, England (2006) (Available in the market for about Rs.200:
flipkart, infibeam, amazon, )
Energy in Nature and Society: General Energetics of Complex
Systems by Vaclav Smil, The MIT Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts (2008)
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia of Energy, Elsevier (2004) (Available online through
sciencedirect and in IITK library)
India Energy Book 2012, World Energy Council. (Freely
downloadable from the internet):
Statistical Review of World Energy 2015 (www.bp.com)

Course Website:
Will be set up on Piazza.com. Will be used for sharing course
material,
for discussions and for
projects.
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Phy301A: Energy

Lecture 1: Basic Concepts

Aristotle (384322 b.c.e.) created the term
(energeia) to mean actuality, identified with
movement. According to Aristotle, every objects
existence is maintained by energeia related to the
objects function. The word thus came to signify
motion, action, work and change.
No progress for the next 2000 years. Newton did not
talk about it.
Then Thomas Young (17731829) of double slit
interference expt & Young's modulus fame defined
energy as mv2. He was obviously talking about kinetic
energy. At that time other forms of energy were not
known!
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The concept of energy reached a state of clarity in

19th century with the maturing of Newtonian
mechanics and the engineering experiments
conducted by James Watt (17361819; improvement
of steam engine) et. al. The SI unit of power is
named after him.
In early 19th Century Sadi Carnot (17961832)
elucidated principles of converting heat energy to
kinetic energy.
Soon after Justus von Liebig (18031873), one of
the founders of biochemistry and modern agriculture,
offered a correct interpretation of human and animal
metabolism ascribing the generation of carbon
dioxide and water to the oxidation of food.
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Julius Robert Mayer (18141878), a physician and

physicist, arrived at the conclusion that the various
forms of energy must be convertible from one form to
another hinting at the law of conservation of energy
(first law of thermodynamics).
The English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818
1889) arrived at the equivalence of heat and
mechanical energy by his careful experiments
(4.2J/cal). The SI unit of energy is named in his honor.

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Phy301A: Energy

In 1850 the German theoretical physicist Rudolf

Clausius (18221888) proved that the maximum
performance obtainable from an engine depends only
on the temperatures of the heat reservoirs, and that
there can never be a heat flow from a colder to a
hotter body.
In 1865 Clausius coined the term entropy as a
measure of the degree of disorder in a closed
system. Clausius formulated the law: entropy of the
universe tends to a maximum (second law of
thermodynamics).

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Phy301A: Energy

Heat energy was found to be

something special. Other forms of
energy can be converted to heat
completely. Conversion of heat into
other forms is never complete. Only a
portion of the input heat can be
converted to another form.
Example: An internal combustion
engine.
The second law of thermodynamics
also pointed towards the heat death of
the Universe when temperatures
everywhere will become equal. There
will be complete disorder as entropy
would reach its maximum value, and
there will be perfect thermodynamic
equilibrium.
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In living organisms second law of

thermodynamics gets apparently violated
all the time. Living organisms seem to be
creating order out of disorder. How?
The apparent violation is due to living
organisms being open systems. They are
always collecting energy from and losing
energy to the surroundings. Second law
applies to closed systems only. Here we
have non-equilibrium thermodynamics in
operation.
Message: Energy flow can create order
out of chaos! And this applies to living
beings, biosphere, civilizations and other
man made objects and structures.
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Phy301A: Energy

At the beginning of 20th century Albert Einstein showed that E=mc2

indicating that matter and energy are equivalent. Matter can be
converted to energy and vice versa. This was an unexpected
extension of the law of conservation of energy (first law of
thermodynamics).
Just six tonnes of matter contain energy that is equal to the worlds
annual consumption of commercial energy (520 EJ for the year
2008). But it is not easy to release the energy locked up as matter.
Nuclear fission achieves the maximum conversion of matter to
energy for commercial energy production. 235U fission coverts 0.1%
of the material to energy.

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Energy and its transformations

Energy comes in many forms: heat (thermal energy), light
(electromagnetic radiation), motion (mechanical energy), electricity,
chemical energy of food and fuel. These forms of energy convert
among themselves over huge time and length scales.
Example: lightning converts electrical energy light, sound, heat,
chemical energy over a timescale of a fraction of a second.
A thermal power station converts chemical energy in coal thermal
energy electrical energy over a period of decades.
Energy conversions are intimately connected with life. For example
photosynthesis: electromagnetic energy from Sun chemical
energy of bacteria and plants. Cooking and heating is done by
converting chemical energy in biomass (wood, charcoal, straw) or
fossil fuels (coals, oils, gases) to thermal energy.
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Some Energy Transitions

From

Electromag Chemical
netic

Thermal

Mechanical

Electrical

Chemiluminescence

Thermal
radiation

Accelerating Electroluminecharge
scence

Nuclear

To
Electromagnetic
Chemical

Photosynthesis

Chemical
Reaction

Dissociation

Thermal

Absorption

Combustion

Heat
exchange

Muscles

Thermal
expansion

Batteries
Fuel cells

Thermoele Generator
ctricity

Mechanical
Electrical

Solar cells

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Gamma
rays

Electrolysis
Charging a
battery

Ionization

Friction

Electrical
heating

Fission

Gears

Motor

Radioactivity

Phy301A: Energy

Nuclear
batteries
12

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Conversion Efficiency: some numbers

Efficiency = Desirable output / input
Photosynthesis: Converts solar energy to biomass. is at best
5% for the most productive crops. Global annual average is only
0.3%!

Resistive heating: electricity heat; can go up to 100%

Electrical motors: electricity kinetic energy; can be up to

95%

Turbines in thermal stations: kinetic energy electricity; best

99%. Overall of a steam turbine plant can reach up to 47%.

Internal combustion engine: chemical energy kinetic energy;

best : petrol car engine: 25-30%, diesel engine: 40%

Photovoltaic converter: sun light electricity varies from 6%

to 44%

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Our favorite form of energy: Electricity

Not a primary form but a preferred form. Extremely easy to

use and control.
Alternating current is standard for mains supplies. Direct
current from batteries for small devices.
In India mains supply is 220 V, 50 Hz. In north America it is
120V, 60Hz. Rest of the world 220-230V, 50Hz mostly.
Advantage of ac supply: Easy to change voltage using
transformers. Long distance transmission at high voltages
such as 110 kV etc. This helps to minimize transmission
losses.
Aluminum wires are usually used for long distance electricity
transmission because they have high electrical conductivity
and are also cheap compared to Copper.

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Electricity - contd

Metallic conductors obey Ohm's law (R=V/I). Power dissipated

in a conducting wire VI = I2R
Fatal shocks from electricity depends on the current that
passes through the body. 100 mA can be a fatal current.
Household appliances typically use from a few watts of power
to a few kilowatts.
A rechargeable pencil cell can store up to 10 kJ of energy.
Indian electricity generation capability is 260GW (as of May
2013). India generated 855TWh = 3.1EJ in 2011-12.
Nonrenewable sources (coal, natural gas, lignite, nuclear)
contribute 87.5% of the above.
Rest 12.5% from renewables (hydroelectricity, wind & solar)

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Links to Videos Shown in Class

Mechanical equivalent of heat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBrTDKc
9YZ0
Steam Engine Made of Glass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73txXT21
aZU

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