human geo Threshold 2 and 3

 Describe the distinction between “free energy” and “heat energy” and how these relate to both the first and second laws of thermodynamics.

Free energy- structured forms of energy

Heat energy- unstructured forms of energy

1st law-energy and matter can’t be destroyed or created

2nd law- the forms of energy goes toward chaos

 Identify and explain the metaphor you find most helpful in illustrating thermodynamic theory.

I find the waterfall analogy the most helpful in understanding free energy and heat energy. At the start of a waterfall it is structured, but the further the water goes down the less structured it is as it hits the water below in a cloud of mist and foam. The water at the top would be free energy and the water at the bottom would be heat energy.

• Describe how David Christian reconciles “entropy” with the emergence of new complexity in the universe

Complex structures like stars have to have energy constantly though it or they will collapse.

When a star stops generating energy it will collapse. The more complex something is, the more energy it will need to not fall apart. New forms of complexity are formed in goldilocks zones when the conditions are perfect for more complex things to be created.

How do the stars light up? Make sure you can tell the “story” of Threshold 2 from the end of the plasma universe 380,000 years after the Big Bang until the first stars begin to “shine.” (Think about the “Goldilocks conditions”, i.e. how the diverse ingredients + the precise arrangement = emerging complexity

Make sure that your “story” includes the following terms:

Protons, Electrons, Hydrogen, Helium, Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong Nuclear Forces, Density and Temperature, Nuclear Fusion, Galaxies, Clusters, Super Clusters

The goldilocks conditions were a lot of matter(mostly hydrogen and helium) gravity and slight differences in temperature and density caused the matter to clump together and increase in temperature and density which made gravity stronger which makes the clump denser and hotter until the clump has formed into a star. These stars formed into galaxies. The galaxies were drawn together to form clusters and even superclusters. Inside the core of a star there is conditions similar to the plasma universe. There are protons and electrons bumping into each other so violently they cause nuclear fusion

How does the vast chemical complexity that characterizes our universe today come about Make sure you can tell the “story” of Threshold 3 from the “birth” of the first stars, their passage through the various “stages” of their life cycles, to the different ways they can “die.” Make sure that your “story” includes the following terms:

Protons, Electrons, Hydrogen, Helium, The rest of the Periodic Table (including Iron!), Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong Nuclear Forces, Density and Temperature, Nuclear Fusion, Main Sequence, Red Giants, White Dwarfs, Supernovas (2 Types!!), Neutron Stars, Black Holes

Inside a star there is a plasma of protons and electrons bumping into each other so violently they cause nuclear fusion. at the center of the star, once all the helium and hydrogen is used up it becomes a red giant where its the hottest, the nuclear fusion fuses new element of the periodic table going all the way up to iron. Once all the iron is used up the star claspses because of gravity into a white dwarf if a white dwarf collides with a red giant it will create a supernova. what happens to a white dwarf depends on what the mass of the star, if its lower in mass then it will fade away after being a white dwarf but if it has a lot of mass then it will colapse in on itself and turn into a supernova. Most stars send most of their life on what is called the main sequence which correlates to a hurtzressal diagram which shows the heat and mass of a star. a supernova supports high enough temperatures to create all of the other elements on the periodic table. A supernova will either turn into a black hole if there is enough mass or the clouds of elements will turn into little neutron stars which are small really bright stars that spin and are EXTRMELY dense. form the rest of those clouds of dust more stars and planets can form starting the prosses over again.