Fall 2016 

INSTRUCTOR: Jerry Harrington 
OFFICE: 517 Walker Building 
PHONE: 863-1584 
EMAIL: [email protected]

WEB: Course Materials available on Canvas (canvas.psu.edu) 
OFFICE HOURS: 3:30 – 4:30 pm Monday, 4:45-5:45 pm Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:00 pm Thursday 

CLASS MEETINGS: 
103 Walker Building  2:30 – 3:20 pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 
We may have a make up class or two and we will discuss it if needed. 

PREREQUISITES: Mathematics through differential equations. Basic knowledge of Physics (Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism.)

COURSE TEXTBOOKS: Atmospheric Thermodynamics by C.F. Bohren and B. Albrecht 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: METEO 531 is a 3-credit lecture course that is designed to provide you with a working knowledge of thermodynamics and how it is applied to the atmosphere.

GRADING: 

• Exam 1 (Tuesday, Sept. 27, 5:00 – 7:00pm): 25%
• Exam 2 (Thursday, Nov. 3, 5:00 – 7:00pm): 25%
• Exam 3 (Final exam time-slot): 25%
• Homework: 25% 

Location of Midterm Exams: 529 Walker Building

CLASSROOM POLICIES AND OTHER NOTES 

COURSE PHILOSOPHY: 
“I see and I forget, I hear and I forget, I do and I understand.” - Confucius 

If you merely read books and listen to others, you will never really learn anything new. New knowledge is only truly gained by thinking and working things through for yourself. The difference is like that between one who simply reads about an experience and one who lives it.

Paraphrase of one of Schopenhaurs’ Aphorisms. 

“The main job of a teacher is to free the student from the teacher” - Zen Buddhist Saying 

COURSE EXPECTATIONS: It is expected that you have a solid, working knowledge of mathematics (calculus and differential equations) and physics (mechanics, electricity and magnetism). These are implied prerequisites for the course. Your ability to understand the material in this course depends critically on how well you learned your math and physics.

I expect active participation from all students in the course. I also expect each student to keep up with the material on her/his own. This includes reviewing lecture notes, reading assigned material, and reading material from books in the library when needed. It is never possible to fully understand the material in a course solely by attending lectures. It is best to think of me as a guide through the relevant material, but it is you who must do the hard work that goes along with the learning process. Like anything else, what you get out of this course depends on what you put into it. Working hard, thinking a lot, and maintaining a positive perspective are the best ways to gain the most from this course! Moreover, as graduate students, I expect each and every one of you to be here because you truly want to learn. Learning should be your main goal. 

I tend to have an open door policy. If the door is open, please knock if you have a question. Outside of office hours, I might ask you to return if I am in the middle of something. Otherwise, I’m normally happy to take your questions! Office hours are your time so it is a great idea to make use of it.

COURSE HOMEWORK: Homework provides the main mechanism to practice and learn the material covered in class and in the text. Each homework set will be composed of 4 to 6 problems and is due typically one week after the problem set is assigned. Late homework assignments are not accepted, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

COURSE EXAMS: Exams are scheduled during the evening hours (5 to 7 pm) so that you have extra time. I write the exams so that a student with strong knowledge of the material can complete the problems in one hour. Having a second hour to take the exam provides time to ponder any questions with which you are having difficulties.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses that may be grounds for failing an assignment, an exam, or the course. Working in groups to solve homework problems is encouraged because it is a great way to learn the material. However the final homework paper you turn in must be written by you alone. It should go without saying that exams must be worked independently. If you would like to learn more, please review the College policies on academic integrity : http://www.ems.psu.edu/current_undergrad_students/academics/integrity_policy  

OTHER REQUIRED UNIVERSITY ELEMENTS THAT YOU MAY FIND USEFUL: 
Course Copyright 

All course materials students receive or to which students have online access are protected by copyright laws. Students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. University Policy AD 40, the University Policy Recording of Classroom Activities and Note Taking Services addresses this issue. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws. 

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus: (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/disability-coordinator). For further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services website (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources).  

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/guidelines). If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations. 

Attendance This course abides by the Penn State Attendance Policy E-11: http://undergrad.psu.edu/aappm/E-11-class-attendance-effective-fall-2016.html, and Conflict Exam Policy 44-35: http://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/44-00-examinations/#44-35. Please also see Illness Verification Policy: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/welcome/illnessVerification/, and Religious Observance Policy: http://undergrad.psu.edu/aappm/R-4-religious-observances.html. Students who miss class for legitimate reasons will be given a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work, including exams and quizzes.  Students are not required to secure the signature of medical personnel in the case of illness or injury and should use their best judgment on whether they are well enough to attend class or not; the University Health Center will not provide medical verification for minor illnesses or injuries. Other legitimate reasons for missing class include religious observance, military service, family emergencies, regularly scheduled university-approved curricular or extracurricular activities, and post-graduate, career-related interviews when there is no opportunity for students to re-schedule these opportunities (such as employment and graduate school final interviews).  Students who encounter serious family, health, or personal situations that result in extended absences should contact the Office of Student and Family Services for help: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/familyservices/.  Whenever possible, students participating in University-approved activities should submit to the instructor a Class Absence Form available from the Registrar's Office: http://www.registrar.psu.edu/student_forms/, at least one week prior to the activity. 

Weather Delays: Campus emergencies, including weather delays, are announced on Penn State News and communicated to cell phones, email, the Penn State Facebook page, and Twitter via PSUAlert (Sign up at: https://psualert.psu.edu/psualert/. 

Recommended Books:

EMS Library - 105 Deike Building. (Books I have found useful)
Title/Author(s)/Call Number

• Atmospheric Thermodynamics Iribarne and Godson QC880.4 T5I74 1981
• Thermodynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans Curry and Webster QC880.4 T5C87 1999
• Atmospheric Science Wallace and Hobbs QC861.2 W34 1977
• Physical Chemistry Atkins QD453.2 A88 1994b
• Understanding Thermodynamics van Ness QC311.V285 1983
• Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Sta-tistical Mechanics Sears and Salinger QC311 S42 1975 

COURSE OUTLINE 

1. OVERVIEW 
2. ENERGY 
   Mechanical Systems and Internal Energy
   Translational, Rotational, Vibrational and Electronic Energies (Molecular Physics) 
   The First Law (Energy Conservation) 
3. GASES, SOLIDS, AND LIQUIDS 
   Gas Laws, Kinetic Theory, Mixtures of Gases
   Collision Interactions, Energy Transformations, Distributions of Energy
   Heat Capacities of Gases, Solids and Liquids
   Enthalpy
   Applications: Dry Adiabatic Processes, Radiative Emission
4. THE SECOND LAW 
   Spontaneous Change, Cyclic Processes 
   Entropy 
   Free Energies and Applications
5. PHASE CHANGES 
   Phase Transformations, Moisture Variables
   Phase Diagrams, Moist Conserved Variables
   Thermodynamic Diagrams (Skew Ts)
6. APPLICATIONS TO ATMOSPHERIC MOTION 
   Buoyancy and Parel Stability
   Cloud Processes: Cloud Formation (Lifted Condensation Level, Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate)
   Conditional Instability 

[Note that not all of this material will be found in your textbook. You will likely have to go to other books in order to find all of the information required.]