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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2006  > July  >
Research: Science and Education
Geometry and Thermodynamics: Exploring the Internal Energy Landscape
A. P. Hantsaridou and H. M. Polatoglou
Department of Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece 54124
Cover
July 2006
Vol. 83 No. 7
p. 1082
Abstract
If we look into the past we will discover that the teachers of thermodynamics were always trying to interpret an important part of their science by using geometry. The relation between geometry and thermodynamics is of great interest and importance in teaching thermodynamics. This article examines the way undergraduate students of thermodynamics study the ideal gas case and handle its fundamental functions by using geometric objects like surfaces and common computer software. The results indicate that students find the graphical method of elaborating a fundamental function of a system efficient and easy to use. Since basic mathematics and computer skills are required, we conclude that the method is an efficient way of making not only qualitative interpretations, but also quantitative assessments of the behavior of any thermodynamic system.
Supplement
Diagrams of the pressure, temperature, internal energy, and entropy of the system at constant internal energy or constant volume are available.
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*  Citation
 Hantsaridou, A. P.; Polatoglou, H. M. J. Chem. Educ. 2006 83 1082.
*  Keywords
 Computer-Based Learning; Gases; Physical Chemistry; Second-Year Undergraduate; Student-Centered Learning; Textbooks / Reference Books; Thermodynamics; Upper-Division Undergraduate
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 5/26/2006
5/31/2006
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