Abie L. Benítez
After reading the preface of Fenn’s book: Engine, Energy and Entropy I am convinced that given the opportunity, my students and I can acquire some knowledge on thermodynamics. For Fenn this is a concept that is critical to understand many underlying concepts in science. According to Professor Gomez (2004), the secret is not to be intimidated by the sometimes abstract language of science.
A statement that should remain true even today is that:
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“1) To be considered liberally educated, one should have some understanding of the laws of thermodynamics; and 2) any reasonably intelligent person, even with little or no background in science and mathematics, can achieve such understanding with a modest expenditure of effort.” - Fenn , 1989, p. xiii-
I must say that for me it is a challenge to understand the physics of the world that surrounds me. Yet, it is encouraging to know that to understand concepts of energy we only need to be reasonably intelligent. Finally, my intent is to help my students comprehend the importance of energy and the machines in our lives and its impact on the environment.
