Environmental Education: Energy Calculations

Course description

How do we calculate the energy used in our daily life? There are many energy units, calculation methods and concepts to understand when calculating energy. In this course, you will learn the main energy concepts, the correct terminology and how to make accurate calculations rapidly. In addition, you will cover energy conversion between the main units of fuels, Carnot efficiency, temperature scales and many other critical components.

How much energy does it take to power a home, a school or an entire city? How would you go about calculating these? Our production and energy-use, primarily from fossil fuels, contribute to climate change. In this course, you will learn about the fundamentals of physics and energy before using formulas for calculating energy and its efficiency. You will begin with physics and the fundamental laws of thermodynamics before covering a key concept of scientific and engineering studies: standard measurements. This will include the seven Système Internationale (S.I.) measurements from which we derive all other measurements. Energy comes in five different types. As you continue, you will study examples of these types, the formulas for calculating each type and step-by-step illustrations for using these formulas.

The following section explores temperature. First, you will concentrate on the three temperature scales we commonly use, focusing mainly on Celsius. Next, we will introduce energy terms before outlining joules and the variations of the basic energy unit. Another topic we cover is power, where we focus on joules, watts and how to convert energy between the two. We will present practical energy calculations, such as a power station's output and efficiency. Following this, we will provide you with examples, supported by step-by-step instructions that you need to follow for every calculation. Finally, we will teach you two commonly used subscripts in energy calculations as you progress.

This course finishes with thermodynamic calculations of various materials. Throughout this course, you will form a solid understanding of energy calculations, from the standard units of measurement to the multiple formulas used to convert between different measurement units. Start this course today to learn how quickly and accurately the energy output of differing materials or scenarios.