As fossil fuels are depleted, there will be an increasing need for alternative energy sources.
Solar energy is one of the least expensive and most accessible alternatives.
To help educate students about solar energy, it must be infused into the pre-college science curriculum. It can be most appropriately integrated into a thermodynamics unit of a physics course. This thesis work will generate a thermodynamics unit and integrate into it a solar energy application project. The thermodynamics unit will include topics such as thermal expansion, kinetic gas theory, and the laws of thermodynamics. The unit will be designed to include lecture notes, problems, experiments, demonstrations, audio-visual materials, computer exercises, and the use of computers for data reduction.