Historically, classical thermodynamics was developed during attempts to improve the efficiency of steam engines. Those investigations led to the well-known zeroth, first, and second laws of thermodynamics. Although these laws are presented independently, linkages between the zeroth and second laws have been pointed out in the physics teaching…

The preservation of natural water and electricity resources is essential for the development of smart cities. Indeed, water and electricity are highly dependent and must be analyzed together to improve the energy efficiency. This article is about the study of the integration of renewable energy and smart solutions in a water heating system. The…

In recent years, solar-powered photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production has drawn great attention as a method to supply clean energy and reduce environmental pollution. This approach, driven by solar energy to synthesize hydrogen gas, is completely renewable and can be used to power hydrogen fuel cells to effectively solve the global…

A significant amount of energy in the form of heat is lost in industrial processes once it is used in specific processes. Among different technologies, high-temperature heat pumps (HTHP) are a valuable method of recovering low-temperature waste heat in the industry in a very efficient way that can be activated using clean electricity. As a…

The continued and substantial increase in technological resources generates a new concept of education that utilizes online resources -- blended learning. Blended learning represents a combination of face-to-face experiences and online learning experiences. The advantage of this multiple-method approach is that it offers the opportunity to achieve…

The aim of this study was to design a digital game that imparts the concept of urban heat island effects to aid in environmental education. Within the play-time limits, gamers must be alert to signs of warning from the environment and keep the balance between economic growth and the temperature of the environment, so they can safely manage the…

In the New England region, where temperatures range from below 0 to over 100 degrees, heating and cooling can present a major opportunity to improve sustainability statistics of a campus. Overt changes such as improving windows come to mind, but recent advancements in boiler technology and strategies for working with the heat of the sun and the…

The development of nations depends on energy consumption, which is generally based on fossil fuels. This dependency produces irreversible and dramatic effects on the environment, e.g. large greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn cause global warming and climate changes, responsible for the rise of the sea level, floods, and other extreme weather…

The January 2013 Physics Challenge for Teachers and Students has some features that are surprising and worth a closer look. The problem concerns a Carnot-cycle refrigeration unit operating inside a tent. It achieves dynamic equilibrium with a freezer ("cold") compartment temperature of T[subscript C] = 13°C, tent temperature of…

In the theory of heat of the first half of the nineteenth century, heat was a substance. Mayer and Joule contradicted this thesis but developed different concepts of heat. Heat was a force for Mayer and a motion for Joule. Both Mayer and Joule determined the mechanical equivalent of heat. This result was, however, justified in accordance with…

This paper is the first part of a three-part project "How the principle of energy conservation evolved between 1842 and 1870: the view of a participant". This paper aims at showing how the new ideas of Mayer and Joule were received, what constituted the new theory in the period under study, and how it was supported experimentally. A…

In 2009, President Obama proposed an initiative to decrease our country's energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. One key to this plan was to decrease the amount of energy used to heat and cool our homes through government incentives. The EPA estimates that the average American household spends over $1000 annually for heating and…

Emperor penguins, the largest of all the penguin species, attain heights of nearly four feet and weigh up to 99 pounds. Many students are not motivated to learn mathematics when textbook examples contain largely nonexistent contexts or when the math is not used to solve significant problems found in real life. This article's project explores how…

Every day, the sun showers the Earth with millions of times more energy than its people use. The only problem is that energy is spread out over the entire Earth's surface and must be harvested. Engineers are learning to capture and use some of this energy to make electricity for homes. Solar panels make up the heart of a solar system. They can be…

Glazing can be optimized to enhance passive solar heating and daylight harvesting by exceeding the prescriptive limits of the energy code. This savings can be garnered without the high cost of external overhangs or expensive glazing products. The majority of savings from solar glazing are attributable to the increase in solar heating and…