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Hardcover $75.00 ISBN: 9781597267090 Published June 2010

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Foundations of Environmental Physics

Understanding Energy Use and Human Impacts

Foundations of Environmental Physics
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Kyle Forinash

432 pages | figures, tables, boxes, examples, study questions, notes, index | 7 x 10

Foundations of Environmental Physics is designed to focus students on the current energy and environmental problems facing society, and to give them the critical thinking and computational skills needed to sort out potential solutions. From its pedagogical approach, students learn that a simple calculation based on first principles can often reveal the plausibility (or implausibility) of a proposed solution or new technology.

 

Throughout its chapters, the text asks students to apply key concepts to current data (which they are required to locate using the Internet and other sources) to get a clearer picture of the most pressing issues in environmental science. The text begins by exploring how changes in world population impact all aspects of the environment, particularly with respect to energy use. It then discusses what the first and second laws of thermodynamics tell us about renewable and nonrenewable energy; how current energy use is changing the global climate; and how alternative technologies can be evaluated through scientific risk assessment. In approaching real-world problems, students come to understand the physical principles that underlie scientific findings.

 

This informative and engaging textbook offers what prospective scientists, managers, and policymakers need most: the knowledge to understand environmental threats and the skills to find solutions.
"This is the best textbook for science students at this level that I've seen. The selection of topics and their coverage is comprehensive, and the author has excellent expository skills."
Robert Bent, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington


“As we continue our quest for sustainability, it is essential to understand the numbers and the scientific principles behind them. Foundations of Environmental Physics is a great place to start for students of physics to learn about the environment, especially energy, and for students of the environment to learn physics.”
John Randolph, Professor of Environmental Planning, Virginia Tech


"I highly recommend this book for all students of environmental science. If you have not taken college-level physics, you will still find the presentation understandable, and if you have, you will find many new insights and applications. Especially noteworthy are the chapters on topics not usually covered in environmental science books, such as energy storage and risk assessment."
John Harte, Professor of Ecosystem Science, U.C. Berkeley


"As society continues to struggle with fundamental environmental problems, universities are responding with courses focused on these issues. This book for academic curricula is intended for science and engineering majors at the junior level. Because this is a rapidly changing field, Forinash (Indiana Univ. Southeast) wisely concentrates on fundamental principles. Major topics include population growth, the relevance of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, renewable and nonrenewable energy, and climate change. Notable attention is paid to important but interdisciplinary topics such as energy storage and the analysis of risk. Each chapter includes many open-ended problems at the end. The book also contains several interesting sample calculations, such as an estimate of the maximum energy available from US fuel crops. The text is dense and rewards close attention to every page. An instructor could easily supply derivations for key equations, which are not generally given in the text. Foundations of Environmental Physics can be used as a textbook for an upper-level one-semester course or for supplementary material in other courses. It can also serve as a reference for students and professionals in all areas dealing with environmental issues. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate through professional collections."
M. C. Ogilvie, Washington University, Choice Magazine


"This book introduces the fundamental concept of energy usage and fate, seen from the point of view of environmental engineers and scientists. . . . I believe that this is one of the best books written on the subject matter. Kyle Forniash did an excellent job in presenting the ideas and topics covered in his book. The book contains an ample number of examples that an engineer and environmental scientist should carry to get quick estimates of real life problems. Several problems, questions and exercises are given at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend this book to environmental engineers and scientists seeking knowledge on energy use, its current and future challenges and its impact on the environment."
 
Contemporary Physics


Introduction
Chapter 1: Population Growth and Environmental Impacts
Chapter 2: Efficiency and the First Law of Thermodynamics
Chapter 3: Efficiency and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Chapter 4: Nonrenewable Energy
Chapter 5: Renewable Energy
Chapter 6: Energy Storage
Chapter 7: Climate and Climate Change
Chapter 8: Risk and Economics
Conclusion
Appendix A: Useful Constants and Conversions
Appendix B: Error Analysis Index
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