Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives
Edition: 7
Copyright: 2013
Pages: 430
Edition: 7
Copyright: 2013
Pages: 432
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In the last century, humanity reached a level of development where the society is totally dependent on planetary-scale uses of energy extracted from a very complex system and often consumed irresponsibly.
In publication since 1975, Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives is an introductory text relating physics principles to societal uses of energy inspired by the tumult insinuated by the looming energy crisis.
Designed with the nonscience student in mind, the publication outlines the technologies and patterns of energy production and consumption from a physicist's perspective in a rather descriptive manner.
The NEW seventh edition of Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives:
- teaches physical principles and physical models filtered through the motif of energy-a conspicuous marker for the inner structure and dynamics of any society
- evaluates the technology and principles of energy converters and assesses the trade-offs involved in their societal deployment
- examines the consequences of working with finite energy resources
- emphasizes the effects, extent, and control of environmentally hazardous by-products of energy conversion processes
- sketches some of the most promising alternatives for sustainable energy generation and usage.
Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives features expanded and refined topical discussions in the light of recent developments, updated and expanded data and Web links, and incorporates new exercises and problems.
To reinforce learning and comprehension, Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives features Review Tasks and Questions, including questions highlighting the main topics and ideas in each chapter.
Chapter 2 Energy Principles: Introduces energy in a physical context. Energy is ultimately and potentially motion, so classical mechanics provides an excellent primer to conceptualize it.
Chapter 3 Fossil Fuels: Currently, fossil fuels-coal, natural gas, and oil-dominate energy production, so a description of these sources is in order.
Chapter 4 Electricity Principles: A large part of the energy consumed in our society is delivered in electric form. Some tidbits of electricity and magnetism are instrumental to understand not only how energy is consumed but also how it is to be produced and transmitted with a maximum of efficiency.
Chapter 5 Fossil-Fuel Electric Power Plants: Fossil-fired power plants produce electric energy with important environmental costs. In this chapter, the strategy is to follow their typical energy conversion steps, accentuate the limits of their efficiency, and identify and discuss the environmentally troubling emissions.
Chapter 6 Electromagnetic Radiation: The atmospheric impact of power-plant emissions cannot be understood without a minimal background in the science of electromagnetic radiation. This knowledge also prepares for the discussion of nuclear power.
Chapter 7 Global Warming and Ozone Depletion: Two salient examples of anthropic influence upon global atmospheric equilibrium. Particularly global warming may originate with an important contribution from the technologies used to produce and consume energy.
Chapter 8 Thermodynamic Principles: Most power plants function as heat machines. Thermodynamics casts light onto the natural limits of their efficiency.
Chapter 9 Automobiles: Besides electric power plants, a major fossil-fuel-thirsty sector is transportation. Automobiles are responsible for a specific type of pollution that is in utter need of control.
Chapter 10 Nuclear Physics Principles: Nuclear energy technology offers a clean alternative to the fossil fuels but with serious drawbacks. This chapter offers the background to understand the energy generation in nuclear reactors and the hazards of radioactivity.
Chapter 11 Nuclear Energy: In this chapter, fission-based nuclear power plants are schematized, compared and discussed, including the risks associated with their usage.
Chapter 12 Solar Energy: Although their contribution is still modest, alternative sources of energy bring about passion, sometimes naive expectations, and a considerable amount of research and technology development. This chapter introduces the good and the bad of some renewable sources-such as direct sunlight and wind-which in the future may give rise to the hope invested in them by the general public.
Chapter 13 Other Energy Systems: This chapter briefs readers on non -solar alternatives for sustainable energy production-such as hydropower, geothermal sources, hydrogen and nuclear fusion-and their widely different growth potentials.
Chapter 14 Solid Waste Management and Energy Conservation: This chapter concludes the book on a realistic tone: even before we clean our energy sources and technologies, it is imperative that we clean the manner in which we consume energy and dispose of our wastes.
Joseph R. Priest (1929–2009) was Professor Emeritus of Physics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he dedicated 45 years to teaching, research, and curriculum development. After earning degrees from Wilmington College, Miami University, and Purdue University, he built an accomplished career in experimental physics, environmental science, and physics education. An internationally recognized expert in computer-based laboratory instruction, Priest pioneered the integration of emerging technologies into physics education and co-authored several influential textbooks, including University Physics and Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives. His innovative teaching and scholarly contributions earned numerous honors, including Miami University's Distinguished Professor designation and the Benjamin Harrison Medallion.
Throughout his career, Priest was celebrated for his passion for teaching, mentorship, and commitment to student success. He continued developing laboratory experiments, publishing educational research, and teaching long after his retirement, while also sharing his expertise through international collaborations and community education programs. Beyond academia, he was deeply devoted to his family, faith, and community, and was known for his integrity, generosity, and enthusiasm for learning. His enduring legacy reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing science education and inspiring generations of students and colleagues.
Mario Freamat is an experimental solid-state physicist and educator whose work bridges advanced materials research and innovative physics instruction. He serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics at Penn State Scranton, following previous faculty appointments at Morrisville State College, Miami University, West Virginia University, and SUNY Fredonia. Dr. Freamat earned both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Kentucky, where he developed expertise in condensed matter physics and experimental research.
Dr. Freamat's research focuses on superconductivity, spin-dependent transport in thin-film devices, and the broader behavior of strongly correlated electron systems. Equally dedicated to physics education, he has extensive teaching experience across a variety of undergraduate institutions and is committed to developing engaging, inquiry-based laboratory experiments that enhance student learning beyond the introductory physics curriculum. His combined expertise in research and education reflects a longstanding commitment to advancing both the practice of physics and the teaching of the discipline.
In the last century, humanity reached a level of development where the society is totally dependent on planetary-scale uses of energy extracted from a very complex system and often consumed irresponsibly.
In publication since 1975, Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives is an introductory text relating physics principles to societal uses of energy inspired by the tumult insinuated by the looming energy crisis.
Designed with the nonscience student in mind, the publication outlines the technologies and patterns of energy production and consumption from a physicist's perspective in a rather descriptive manner.
The NEW seventh edition of Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives:
- teaches physical principles and physical models filtered through the motif of energy-a conspicuous marker for the inner structure and dynamics of any society
- evaluates the technology and principles of energy converters and assesses the trade-offs involved in their societal deployment
- examines the consequences of working with finite energy resources
- emphasizes the effects, extent, and control of environmentally hazardous by-products of energy conversion processes
- sketches some of the most promising alternatives for sustainable energy generation and usage.
Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives features expanded and refined topical discussions in the light of recent developments, updated and expanded data and Web links, and incorporates new exercises and problems.
To reinforce learning and comprehension, Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives features Review Tasks and Questions, including questions highlighting the main topics and ideas in each chapter.
Chapter 2 Energy Principles: Introduces energy in a physical context. Energy is ultimately and potentially motion, so classical mechanics provides an excellent primer to conceptualize it.
Chapter 3 Fossil Fuels: Currently, fossil fuels-coal, natural gas, and oil-dominate energy production, so a description of these sources is in order.
Chapter 4 Electricity Principles: A large part of the energy consumed in our society is delivered in electric form. Some tidbits of electricity and magnetism are instrumental to understand not only how energy is consumed but also how it is to be produced and transmitted with a maximum of efficiency.
Chapter 5 Fossil-Fuel Electric Power Plants: Fossil-fired power plants produce electric energy with important environmental costs. In this chapter, the strategy is to follow their typical energy conversion steps, accentuate the limits of their efficiency, and identify and discuss the environmentally troubling emissions.
Chapter 6 Electromagnetic Radiation: The atmospheric impact of power-plant emissions cannot be understood without a minimal background in the science of electromagnetic radiation. This knowledge also prepares for the discussion of nuclear power.
Chapter 7 Global Warming and Ozone Depletion: Two salient examples of anthropic influence upon global atmospheric equilibrium. Particularly global warming may originate with an important contribution from the technologies used to produce and consume energy.
Chapter 8 Thermodynamic Principles: Most power plants function as heat machines. Thermodynamics casts light onto the natural limits of their efficiency.
Chapter 9 Automobiles: Besides electric power plants, a major fossil-fuel-thirsty sector is transportation. Automobiles are responsible for a specific type of pollution that is in utter need of control.
Chapter 10 Nuclear Physics Principles: Nuclear energy technology offers a clean alternative to the fossil fuels but with serious drawbacks. This chapter offers the background to understand the energy generation in nuclear reactors and the hazards of radioactivity.
Chapter 11 Nuclear Energy: In this chapter, fission-based nuclear power plants are schematized, compared and discussed, including the risks associated with their usage.
Chapter 12 Solar Energy: Although their contribution is still modest, alternative sources of energy bring about passion, sometimes naive expectations, and a considerable amount of research and technology development. This chapter introduces the good and the bad of some renewable sources-such as direct sunlight and wind-which in the future may give rise to the hope invested in them by the general public.
Chapter 13 Other Energy Systems: This chapter briefs readers on non -solar alternatives for sustainable energy production-such as hydropower, geothermal sources, hydrogen and nuclear fusion-and their widely different growth potentials.
Chapter 14 Solid Waste Management and Energy Conservation: This chapter concludes the book on a realistic tone: even before we clean our energy sources and technologies, it is imperative that we clean the manner in which we consume energy and dispose of our wastes.
Joseph R. Priest (1929–2009) was Professor Emeritus of Physics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he dedicated 45 years to teaching, research, and curriculum development. After earning degrees from Wilmington College, Miami University, and Purdue University, he built an accomplished career in experimental physics, environmental science, and physics education. An internationally recognized expert in computer-based laboratory instruction, Priest pioneered the integration of emerging technologies into physics education and co-authored several influential textbooks, including University Physics and Energy: Principles, Problems, Alternatives. His innovative teaching and scholarly contributions earned numerous honors, including Miami University's Distinguished Professor designation and the Benjamin Harrison Medallion.
Throughout his career, Priest was celebrated for his passion for teaching, mentorship, and commitment to student success. He continued developing laboratory experiments, publishing educational research, and teaching long after his retirement, while also sharing his expertise through international collaborations and community education programs. Beyond academia, he was deeply devoted to his family, faith, and community, and was known for his integrity, generosity, and enthusiasm for learning. His enduring legacy reflects a lifelong commitment to advancing science education and inspiring generations of students and colleagues.
Mario Freamat is an experimental solid-state physicist and educator whose work bridges advanced materials research and innovative physics instruction. He serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor of Physics at Penn State Scranton, following previous faculty appointments at Morrisville State College, Miami University, West Virginia University, and SUNY Fredonia. Dr. Freamat earned both his M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Kentucky, where he developed expertise in condensed matter physics and experimental research.
Dr. Freamat's research focuses on superconductivity, spin-dependent transport in thin-film devices, and the broader behavior of strongly correlated electron systems. Equally dedicated to physics education, he has extensive teaching experience across a variety of undergraduate institutions and is committed to developing engaging, inquiry-based laboratory experiments that enhance student learning beyond the introductory physics curriculum. His combined expertise in research and education reflects a longstanding commitment to advancing both the practice of physics and the teaching of the discipline.