Unit 1 Project: Thermodynamics and Sound

Your Unit 1 project will be worth 16% of the class grade.

In weeks 1-4, we learned about various concepts related to thermodynamics and sound. Now, we will apply these concepts to a real-world project.

This project focuses on the following course objectives:

Apply thermodynamics principles to explain scenarios,

Predict auditory phenomena using wave properties of sound, and

Design a project, collect data, and interpret results related to thermodynamics and sound.

You will design a project to collect data using the I/O Lab Unit, apply concepts from the text and class notes, and analyze the results to determine heat flow and acoustic characteristics for one room in your house, apartment, or workplace (with permission). From the data collected from this project you will be able to:

determine heat flow through conduction, convection, and radiation under various conditions; and

determine the acoustic sound intensity level (dB) and corresponding intensity (W/m2) with and without music or sound emanating from a speaker.

This project will result in a paper characterizing the thermal and sound characteristics of your room.

The paper should include a brief introduction about the room and why you chose it (one paragraph), a data section including the map of room temperature, and the map of the acoustic sound intensity level with corresponding intensity (both sound measurements can be combined on the same map), a results/analysis section including the calculations and answers to the questions in Part 1 and Part 2 below, and a short conclusion (1-2 paragraphs) commenting about anything interesting that you discovered and wish to highlight from this project.

The total page count for this project, including maps and calculations should be between 5 and 8 pages typed, 12 point font, double spaced. Each map should at least one-half of a page, and at most one whole page. Equations or work can either be included through an equation editor, or by including a digital picture of legible work.

Part 1: Thermodynamics

Using the thermometer included in your LabPaq Kit, and instructions from the Week 2 Lab, map out the temperature distribution in a room of your choice. You should have at least 25 data points (a 5 x 5 grid) for your room. You will also need to estimate the dimensions of the room for purposes of calculations. Create a hand-drawn or computer generated map displaying the data.
Please indicate any doors, windows, radiators, heaters, or air conditioners on the map.
You will also need to either take a temperature measurement outside the building or find a temperature measurement using a weather app or local weather station.

From this data, and material in sections 14.5-14.7 of the textbook, please determine the following using the average room temperature:

The rate of conductive heat transfer between your room and the exterior of the building. You will need to estimate the thickness of the external wall, and its composition. You may use external internet sources to find better estimates than what are provided in section 14.5 of the textbook. If the outside and inside temperature are in equilibrium, you may use 2.0°C as the minimum temperature difference.

The rate of heat transfer by convection alone to heat or cool the room from the outside temperature to the inside temperature from section 14.6 in the textbook. If the outside and inside temperature are in equilibrium, you may use 2.0°C as the minimum temperature difference.

The rate of heat transfer by radiation through any windows. If you do not have any windows, assume a minimum of 2.0 m2 of window surface area. You may assume an emissivity of 0.91 for all windows (assumption of uncoated glass windows). Note that this calculation is based on outside and inside temperature and is independent of any shortwave solar radiation entering the window.

From the calculations and maps of temperature, please answer the following in paragraph form:

Was your temperature distribution constant throughout the room, or was there variation? What are possible causes for this variation?