Name the Experiment: Changing Entropy

Highlights of the activity

1. This small group activity is designed to help students connect thermodynamic derivatives involving length and tension with measurements of a rubber band.
2. Students design an experiment to measure a given partial derivative.
3. The compare-and-contrast wrap up discussion highlights the significance of which variable is held constant in a partial derivative.

Reasons to spend class time on the activity

At this point, students should have completed the first Name the Experiment activity. This activity will allow them to tackle trickier experiments in which the entropy is changing, forcing them to think and talk about how one measures and controls entropy.

Reflections

• Reflections from the original implementation.

• Reflections from "official" adapters/adopters.

• Reflections from the general public.

Instructor's Guide

• Wiki version