Transition To Engineering Thermodynamics

[Bottlestein]

As part of my grad work, I'll be taking an engineering thermodynamics course - my first. I've had the statistical mechanics as a junior/senior undergrad - but that was in physics. Roughly, it went through Statistical Mechanics by Pathria : Fundamental Relations, Partition Functions and Entropy, Phase Transitions and Criticality, Renormalization Groups, Dimensionality (the usual Ising Model stuff) and intro to Universal Classes.

I was wondering how much of this is useful for an engineering oriented (roughly 1st year PhD level) thermodynamics course. If anyone here has taken one and can offer some tips it would be greatly appreciated. I've started going through the Fundamentals of Thermodynamics by Sonntag & Van Wylen. Does this roughly correspond to undergrad engineering thermo? What sort of things should I take away from it to do well at the next level?

For example, in physics thermo, the form of the Partition Function was amongst the most important insights to take away from a particular lesson. If one knew the fundamental relations, the from of the partition function would be sufficient to determine limiting behavior of the system. This was true even at higher level thermo./stat. mech. classes. In engineering thermo. does the "Control Volume" analysis play a similar role - i.e. it's the most important insight into a system?

[raptor3x]

I you've been through a statistical mechanics course then even a graduate level engineering thermodynamics course should be pretty simple.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

As part of my grad work, I'll be taking an engineering thermodynamics course - my first. I've had the statistical mechanics as a junior/senior undergrad - but that was in physics. Roughly, it went through Statistical Mechanics by Pathria : Fundamental Relations, Partition Functions and Entropy, Phase Transitions and Criticality, Renormalization Groups, Dimensionality (the usual Ising Model stuff) and intro to Universal Classes.

I was wondering how much of this is useful for an engineering oriented (roughly 1st year PhD level) thermodynamics course. If anyone here has taken one and can offer some tips it would be greatly appreciated. I've started going through the Fundamentals of Thermodynamics by Sonntag & Van Wylen. Does this roughly correspond to undergrad engineering thermo? What sort of things should I take away from it to do well at the next level?

For example, in physics thermo, the form of the Partition Function was amongst the most important insights to take away from a particular lesson. If one knew the fundamental relations, the from of the partition function would be sufficient to determine limiting behavior of the system. This was true even at higher level thermo./stat. mech. classes. In engineering thermo. does the "Control Volume" analysis play a similar role - i.e. it's the most important insight into a system?

Engineering thermodynamics--which I'm in right now--is just all about differential equation calculations of flow of energy (and frankly rarely even that complex of math), usually to perform work. -- note, that's an undergraduate level course, not graduate, so I guess it might be harder, but I wonder why you're taking it, if I may ask, if you've already had physics thermo?

[Bottlestein]

^ @ The D. of Z.

It's a requirement for a course I need to take later. The instructor of the later course was adamant about not waiving the requirement. I am trying to convince him to test me on the stuff I need to know, and waiving the requirement if I pass. If he accepts - then it's all settled; but until then, I'm preparing based on the assumption I'll be taking this Engr. Thermo. class.

[raptor3x]

I wouldn't expect him to let you bypass the course as, at the very least, there are a number of engineering conventions you will need to know that you would not have learned (or have learned the opposite of) in you physics B.S.

[Simon_Jester]

That strikes me as fair.

Engineering thermodynamics won't teach you much about statistical mechanics (partition functions and such) because it isn't concerned with how matter behaves on the atomic level very much, except insofar as its macro-scale properties are a consequence of that. Whereas it will tell you a great deal about the temperature in a steel beam that is exposed to thus-and-so conditions, stuff you're not likely to learn in a physics class heavy in statistical mechanics... because that does matter to engineers.