PHYSICS, ENERGY AND SOCIETY
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2019/2020
- Teacher
- GIOVANNI FIORENTINI
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- FIS/01
Training objectives
- Our energy system is rapidly evolving. Big challenges ahead of us include securing our long-term energy supply, providing access to sustainable energy for everyone, and mitigating climate change, Energy collection, conversion, transport, storage, distribution, and end-use application are all steps in providing energy services to society. All these elements form an energy system, which is complex and interacts with other systems in a multitude of ways. The goal of the course is to provide basic knowledge on the different aspects of energy systems. Emphasis will be given on dimensional analyses and order of magniture estimates.
Prerequisites
- - Basic concepts of classical physics as obtained in undergraduate courses.
- Specific pedagogical focus will be given to ensuring that mathematical content is accessible to all students, regardless of academic background. Course programme
- The main topics covered in this course are as follows:
1. Energy in fuel, foods and objects
2. Energy and power
3. Energy sources, consumption and costs
4. Energy from fossil fuels
5. Renewables
6. Geothermal energy
7. Nuclear energy
8. Nuclei and radioactivity
9. Energy storage and transportation
10. Energy disasters
11. Energy, weapons and terrorism
12. Energy and climate Didactic methods
- The course is based on lectures, covering the various topics of the course course and on exercises, aiming at providing quantitative estimates of the physical processes involved.
In addition, specialized seminars on selected topics are planned Learning assessment procedures
- The oral exam will be based on the discussion of a report and/or a presentation by the student; he/she will report his results on a subject agreed with the instructor in the final stages of the course. This discussion will be used to assess the knowledge and the skills developed by the student.
Reference texts
- -Lecture notes provided by the teacher
-R. Mueller, Physics and Technology for future presidents
-J. Andrews and N. Jelley, Energy science, technology and impact
