The Thermodynamics of Sarcasm

We've got one week left of classes the semester (yay!!) and so my classes are winding down. The last unit in my physics class is thermodynamics. Last night I finished the last homework for that class (I like to make sure I work all the problems before making my students do them) and got the assignment posted. As I worked problems about heat engines and entropy I remembered why I hated my thermal physics class so much. (Although looking back, I wish someone would have told me how useful and important statistical mechanics was in astrophysics. I mean, seriously.) But as I went home (driving my car with an internal combustion engine) and turned on my heater to warm up my cold apartment, I was grateful that someone loves it, as thermo actually is a pretty important part of our lives. (*end physics teacher PSA*)

As I'm preparing my final three lectures, I actually pulled out "Thermal Physics," the text we used for my senior level, undergrad thermo class. I randomly opened up to a page, and laughed at all the notes I wrote in it. I don't actually make notes in textbooks that often. After leafing through a few pages, it was clear how silly, sarcastic and maybe bitter (about the material) I was while in this class. (Remember that one problem that had like 15 parts?! And the time Kevin drew an analogy between particles moving to an evacuated space and letting loose third graders from one side of a gym when there is a table full of sloppy joes on the other?)

Anyway, I just have to share a few of these gems with the blogosphere.

The first page I saw today. Clearly my mind was on energy and entropy as I read.

I also noticed that a common theme was that I would write notes in the margin, as if I was having a conversation with the author. (Who I have, incidentally, met in real life, since he teaches in the physics department at Weber State where my dad taught. But our encounters were all way before I became a(n) (astro) physicist.)

And in this one I like the edit of "statistical mechanics" to "sadistical mechanics."





One of my sillier moments....

I still haven't read that book....

But as you can see, I wasn't sarcastic or bitter about it all the time.


So on this cold, December day, I'm grateful for thermodynamics and heat engines and the transportation of heat. And even more glad that I'm not the one that has to work those problem out. (At least beyond the intro physics level!) (Of course, I likely just jinxed myself to get a job where I'll eventually be asked to teach thermal physics. Blergh.)