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Need Help with Thermodynamics Course
Posted: 02 Apr 2006, 16:15
by Grifter
My wife, Karen (aka Sabre) is having trouble in her Thermo course at Wentworth. Any of you guys who have done this coursework and familiar with it that could help her out? She'd love to email you for some clarification and light tutoring. Any help appreciated thanks.
Posted: 02 Apr 2006, 16:34
by Gator
I'm not sure how much I remember, but I'd be glad to help if I can.
Posted: 02 Apr 2006, 16:53
by KODIAK
Have done some, but not at degree level, and to be honest all this time later, I'm more likely to be taught stuff by her! :lol:
Posted: 02 Apr 2006, 22:30
by Hammer
we have a couple of engineers at work that might be able to help... can you e-mail me the questions directly and then i camn ask them if they have an idea and if they are willing to help.
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 10:16
by KODIAK
This might sound daft, but has she tried googling for info. I undertook an Open University technology course a few years back. And was quite impressed by the amount of info that's openly available on the net. Talking of which, it may be worth heading over to the OU website and looking for some info links there - might get lucky.
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 11:14
by Jedi Master
Oh GOD I hated thermo. My brain didn't like thinking in that manner at ALL. I was far more at home in the quantum physics and multiple derivative equations classes--those made sense!
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 11:17
by PanzerMeyer
Jedi Master wrote:Oh GOD I hated thermo. My brain didn't like thinking in that manner at ALL. I was far more at home in the quantum physics and multiple derivative equations classes--those made sense!
You should have been a Theater major and not bothered at all with Physics! LOL.
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 11:19
by Jedi Master
I might have, except I likely would still not work in that field either (I was preordained for computers it seems) and "theater major" looks pretty crappy on resumes compared to "physics major." ;)
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 11:41
by KODIAK
Mathematics & Arithmetic were easy for me - it was just all about punching in numbers. Physics was definitely my favourite subject in school, I used to go home and do half the experiments for the following day using anything lying around the house that suited. Then I'd make my own calculations using stopwatches and calculator and tabulate it all and hand-in the following day along with my lab environment experiments. Physics - great subject!!
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 12:05
by PanzerMeyer
Jedi Master wrote: (I was preordained for computers it seems)
Same thing here with me.
Too bad I dont get to use my Anthropology degree very often in the IT field.
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 12:06
by PanzerMeyer
KODIAK wrote:Mathematics & Arithmetic were easy for me - it was just all about punching in numbers.
Uh, what level of Math did you get to in your schooling? Trigonometry and Calculus are definitely much more than just punching in numbers!
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 13:37
by KODIAK
Sorry but that is probably where you simply went wrong then in your approach- look at all maths/arithmetic. It's ALL about punching in numbers, that's exactly why you study it in maths & arithmetic. It was absolutely unimportant what formula you were transposing, differentiating or integrating and even less important was how complex it was - you move it, punch in the numbers, mash it, and out comes the answer. Trig and Calc? Jeez, I had more trouble with Der, Die und Das!! LOL! Nope, never had a problem with that subject. And that was university maths Panz - not that it was really any different IMHO to school maths.
But I guarantee YOU can say the same about one of the subjects you studied too, most everybody found something relatively easy.
Posted: 03 Apr 2006, 22:27
by BlackHawk*K
some of these class topics sounds fun at this day and age for me, i wish i would of went to collage and did some corses. its funny, i highschool i totaly sucked at math and all things related. now i do math all the time. either in figuring stairs etc. building a house. its chalk full of math. in H school i took, basic, adv. basic, Pascel, and Logo on a old aplle IIe in computer class LOL. i tried to learn perl a few years back and was stumped. i couldnt follow the program like i once did.
so for us non-learned types.. what is this thermo thing all about? what does it deal with? sounds kinda intersting lol.
Posted: 04 Apr 2006, 07:43
by Gator
well, if aerodynamics is the study of the flow of air, thermodynamics is the study of the flow of heat. I liked the class sooooo much I took it twice. Funny thing is, the prof's name was Dr. Gater.
Posted: 04 Apr 2006, 11:56
by Jedi Master
Right, but since my brain knows that "heat" isn't a thing, but a property that other things do or do not have, I always had problems with it. I had to force my brain to work counter to itself just to get through it.
Posted: 04 Apr 2006, 12:48
by Grifter
I'll send this thread along to Sabre. She may find the dialogue here both helpful and amusing. ;-)
Thermodynamics
Posted: 05 Apr 2006, 10:04
by Sabre
Hi guys... long time no see. (now you know why)
Let's see... got through all the Calculus classes without a problem. Finishing up Diff Eq now.
Physics WAS always fun, I agree... but when you try to cram it down my throat a million bits per second, I find it hard to swallow. Thermo gets so indepth. It seems most people struggle with the class and even the professor is saying that he thinks they make us take it too early. I wish I had taken a few other classes first. Oh well.
Kodiak, what was that OU website you were talking about? You're right, I do have good luck when I go on the web.
P.S. I may not get online to play games anymore but my company hosts "gaming nights" with pizza and lots of volunteer victims. It's pretty cool. But we play Halo 2. They set up xboxes in the conference room and project the games onto the white boards and walls. (yes, on 4 sides). We all jump in on one game and chase each other around.
Posted: 05 Apr 2006, 10:29
by Hammer
Even the VP of Engineering at my company says Thermodynamics was weird. It is just not a normal way of thinking.
Posted: 05 Apr 2006, 10:53
by PanzerMeyer
Steel wrote:Even the VP of Engineering at my company says Thermodynamics was weird. It is just not a normal way of thinking.
I'd probably be good at the subject then since I'm weird myself. Well, at least that's what a lot of people say about me.
Posted: 05 Apr 2006, 15:08
by KODIAK
http://www.open.ac.uk/
Whether you will manage to find any useful info I have no idea, that's if you manage to gain access. I'll go try to look up my student access codes for you and do some digging for articles if you still need any info by the time I find them. :lol: