Physics Department v2.1 Melbourne High School 2016 VCE Physics Units 1 & 2| Term 2, 2016 Area of Study: Thermal Physics Group research project: Issues related to thermodynamics Instructions This is a group research‐and‐presentation task. You will work in groups of no more than three students. Undertake research on one of the topics listed. (No more than one group may choose each topic.) Present and respond to an audience of your peers (your class). The presentation is to be supported with visual media (such as PowerPoint slides or Prezi and pictures/diagrams). Allow 2–3 hours preparation time per person. Presentations will run for 12‐15 minutes of class time, including time for questions from the audience and your teacher. Assessment Component Marks available Assessed by Individual contribution to research 2 Group members Breadth and depth of understanding of content, with emphasis on physics concepts (as demonstrated by presentation and responses to questions) 5 Teacher Effectiveness of presentation (including both verbal delivery and supporting media) 3 Teacher Total: 10 Area of Study: Thermal Physics Group research project Topics for student research No. Short name of topic Key question(s) 1 Human contribution to climate change: Climate‐change sceptics and climate‐change deniers What arguments are most often presented against the prevailing scientific view on humanity’s effect on climate change? Assess the validity of some of these arguments. What gaps are there in our current scientific understanding of climate change? 2 Natural climate change: Historical variation in Earth’s climate How has Earth’s climate changed since Earth was formed, and what are the explanations for these changes? How are the changes we are now seeing substantially different from past changes, and how do we know? 3 Astrobiology: Circumstellar habitable zones How are the thermal effects that determine Earth’s average surface temperature different for exoplanets? What factors affect whether an exoplanet will have a temperature that can support life, and why? 4 Science, policy, and the public Discuss how science and its methods influence public opinion, politics, and policy. Consider issues such as the environment, health/medicine, and the place of science itself. Include discussion of the concepts of reliability, validity, and uncertainty. 5 Climate: Patterns in the ocean How do ocean currents and patterns in temperature or other variables affect climate and weather? Explain how the Indian Ocean Dipole, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and/or the Southern Annular Mode affect different countries. 6 Climate: How are jet streams formed and how do they affect air travel? Jet streams and air travel 7 8 9 10 Renewable energy: stumbling blocks What are the barriers to more widespread adoption of “renewable” technologies for generating electric power? Include an explanation of how these technologies work and a discussion of power transmission & distribution. Nuclear power: the least bad option? Compare the disadvantages of nuclear generation of electric power with those of other power sources (different kinds of fossil fuels and hydro/wind/solar/geothermal etc.) Include discussion of financial costs, effects on the environment and on human health. Energy efficiency: Technologies for cars What technologies are used in modern cars to decrease environmental impact, and how do these work? Include a detailed explanation of at least one of the following: supercharging/turbocharging, dual‐clutch gearboxes, non‐petrol fuels, or hybrid petrol–electric power systems. Energy efficiency: Technologies for houses What technologies and/or design features increase the energy efficiency of houses, and how do these work? Include a comparison and explanation of at least one of the following: different “active” heating and cooling systems; different “passive” heating and cooling systems (features that decrease heat flow into or out of the house); different cooking systems. Page 2 Area of Study: Thermal Physics Group research project Additional climate‐science topics 11 Climate modelling What processes and technologies are employed in forecasting long‐
term climate change? 12 Ocean dynamics What role is played by the oceans in climate‐change models? 13 Extreme climatic events What is the nature of these and what do they tell us about climate? 14 Remote sensing What role does remote‐sensing technology play in the modelling of climate? With reference to one of:  the Hydrological Cycle,  the Carbon Cycle, or  tropical Cloud‐Convective Processes, outline the significance of your chosen interaction within the context of climate‐change models. 15 Land‐atmosphere interactions 16 Vulnerability to effects of In what specific ways do models of climate change predict an impact climate change on coastal and/or remote communities in the Asia‐Pacific region? 17 City climates Do cities have climates? How are they modelled differently from global forecasts? 18 Ocean acidification What role does this play as an environmental indicator of climate variability? What are the IPCC and WMO and what roles do these organisations Science and international play in global climate modelling? 19 committees How should scientists and non‐scientists respond to the findings published by such organisations? 20 Adiabatic processes What is adiabatic heating and cooling? How do these processes contribute to climate variability? Page 3