Energy > Energy Concepts > Conservation of Energy
Integrating Energy, Equity, and Place in High School Physics
TOPICS
Energy > Energy Concepts > Conservation of Energy
Environmental Equity Topics > Climate Change
Identities > Race
None
Social Equity Topics > Structural Inequity
FILES
Heat pumps, air conditioning, energy equity and climate justice
TEACHER GUIDE
IMPLEMENTATION
Duration: 2 sessions of 80 minutes per session.
Context and level of the class where you use this resource and how it fits into the flow of your course: I have used this activity in an introductory physics course for science and engineering majors at Seattle Pacific University. This course has a typical enrollment of 30 - 40 students and utilizes Learning Assistants to facilitate small group learning. This activity is part of a unit on heat, temperature and thermal energy. Prior to this activity I introduce student to Energy Cubes and Energy Tracking Diagrams and have provided links in the instructors guide.
Basic implementation tips & tricks: Some students may be really interested to understand the energy story of a refrigerant as it goes through the cycle shown on slide 6. There are many great resources for understanding this process better. I like the description in Daniel Schroeder’s book on Thermal Physics. You can also find many good open source resources. This is really cool physics but it’s not necessary to understand all the details to understand the big picture energy story; a heat pump uses electrical energy to pump thermal energy from a lower temperature region to a higher temperature region.
PEDAGOGY
What insights or realizations do you hope students gain from these instructional materials? Through this activity students are able to work out for themselves how heat pumps and air conditioners can achieve an "efficiency" of much greater than 100% through a process that is consistent with the principle of energy conservation. Students can also recognize various reasons why people least responsible for climate change are also most vulnerable to extreme heat events.
How does this resource connect science and equity learning? These materials help students connect fundamental energy ideas and model-based scientific reasoning to contemporary issues of public policy. Students can recognize increased access to air conditioning as both a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions and a critical strategy for adapting to severe heat waves. They can also explore systemic inequities in vulnerability to heat waves and resources for coping with extreme heat.
DISCUSSION
LOGIN or REGISTER to see implementation reports and comments and join the discussion.
RELATED RESOURCES
LOGIN or REGISTER to see related resources from our Community Library.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Copyright: 2022 Lane Seeley
Last Edit Date: August 15, 2022
The Portal uses cookies to personalize your experience and improve our services. By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. See our Privacy Policy for more.