This concise and rigorous textbook introduces students to the subject of continuum thermodynamics, providing a complete treatment of the subject with practical applications to material modelling.

• Presents mathematical prerequisites and the foundations of continuum mechanics, taking the student step-by-step through the subject to allow full understanding of the theory.

• Introduces more advanced topics such as theories for the investigation of material models, showing how they relate to real-world practical applications.

• Numerous examples and illustrations, alongside end-of-chapter problems with helpful hints, help describe complex concepts and mathematical derivations.

This chapter presents the Laplace transform, which is as fundamental to continuous-time systems as the z-transform is to discrete-time systems. Several properties and examples are presented. Similar to the z-transform, the Laplace transform can be regarded as a generalization of the appropriate Fourier transform. In continuous time, the Laplace transform is very useful in the study of systems represented by linear constant-coefficient differential equations (i.e., rational LTI systems). Frequency responses, resonances, and oscillations in electric circuits (and in mechanical systems) can be studied using the Laplace transform. The application in electrical circuit analysis is demonstrated with the help of an LCR circuit. The inverse Laplace transformation is also discussed, and it is shown that the inverse is unique only when the region of convergence (ROC) of the Laplace transform is specified. Depending on the ROC, the inverse of a given Laplace transform expression may be causal, noncausal, two-sided, bounded, or unbounded. This is very similar to the theory of inverse z-transformation. Because of these similarities, the discussion of the Laplace transform in this chapter is brief.

This chapter discusses the application of operations research models in the energy industry. The applications that are covered include linear programming in the economic dispatch problem, mixed integer programming in unit commitment, nonlinear programming in the alternating current optimal power flow, stochastic programming in hydrothermal scheduling, and various other classes of mathematical programs. The capacity expansion problem is then analyzed through an analytical approach that relies on load duration curves and screening curves. The model is used to highlight the missing money problem in energy only markets with price caps, introduces the notion of competitive equilibrium, and discusses the distinction between short-term and long-term competitive equilibrium.

This chapter presents the direct current optimal power flow (DCOPF) problem, which is a linear approximation of the alternating current optimal power flow problem. Two equivalent formulations of the DCOPF are provided: one based on power transfer distribution factors (PTDFs), and one based on susceptances. The optimal solution of the DCOPF is characterized using the KKT conditions of the model. The optimal transmission switching and optimal transmission expansion problem are introduced. The nodal pricing or locational marginal pricing (LMP) mechanism is defined, and various properties of LMPs are characterized through examples and KKT conditions. Congestion rent and congestion cost are defined and compared. The equivalence of DCOPF to a competitive market model for transmission and energy is established using KKT conditions. A DCOPF with losses is introduced. Zonal pricing is defined, and the motivations of its origins are discussed. Two models of zonal pricing are analyzed, one based on a transportation network and one based on flow-based market coupling. Various notions of zonal pricing are defined, including available transfer capacities, loop flows, transit flows, critical branches, zone-to-line PTDFs, remaining available margin, and generation shift keys. Redispatch is defined and demonstrated through examples, and the INC-DEC gaming strategy is described.

Water shapes the planet and all life upon it. Breaking down traditional disciplinary barriers, this accessible, holistic introduction to the role and importance of water in Earth’s physical and biological environments assumes no prior knowledge. It provides the reader with a clear and coherent explanation of the unique properties of water and how these allow it to affect landscapes and underpin all life on Earth. Contemporary issues surrounding water quality – such as the rise of microplastics and climate change – are highlighted, ensuring readers understand current debates. Giving all of the necessary background and up-to-date references, and including numerous examples and illustrations to explain concepts, worked mathematical calculations, and extensive end-of-chapter questions, this is the ideal introductory textbook for students seeking to understand the inextricable links between water and the environment.

A number of properties relating to the inverse z-transform are discussed. The partial fraction expansion (PFE) of a rational z-transform plays a role in finding the inverse transform. It is shown that the inverse z-transform solution is not unique and depends on the region of convergence (ROC). Depending on the ROC, the solution may be causal, anticausal, two-sided, stable, or unstable. The condition for existence of a stable inverse transform is also developed. The interplay between causality, stability, and the ROC is established and illustrated with examples. The case of multiple poles is also considered. The theory and implementation of IIR linear-phase filters is discussed in detail. The connection between z-transform theory and analytic functions in complex variable theory is placed in evidence. Based on this connection, many intriguing examples of z-transform pairs are pointed out. In particular, closed-form expressions for radii of convergence of the z-transform can be obtained from complex variable theory. The case of unrealizable digital filters and their connection to complex variable theory is also discussed.

Water shapes the planet and all life upon it. Breaking down traditional disciplinary barriers, this accessible, holistic introduction to the role and importance of water in Earth’s physical and biological environments assumes no prior knowledge. It provides the reader with a clear and coherent explanation of the unique properties of water and how these allow it to affect landscapes and underpin all life on Earth. Contemporary issues surrounding water quality – such as the rise of microplastics and climate change – are highlighted, ensuring readers understand current debates. Giving all of the necessary background and up-to-date references, and including numerous examples and illustrations to explain concepts, worked mathematical calculations, and extensive end-of-chapter questions, this is the ideal introductory textbook for students seeking to understand the inextricable links between water and the environment.

This chapter described the intended audience of the book, summarizes the content of each chapter, describes the use of the material in courses, describes how exercises are used in the book, provides explanations about notation and terminology, and includes acknowledgements.

This chapter focuses on information knowledge (also known as declarative or ‘what’ knowledge) and looks at how digital tools can be used to learn information. It considers how extended reality, gamification and simulations are used for learning and teaching, and explores why and how digital technologies are used in inquiry-based learning, in particular, challenge-based learning.

Water shapes the planet and all life upon it. Breaking down traditional disciplinary barriers, this accessible, holistic introduction to the role and importance of water in Earth’s physical and biological environments assumes no prior knowledge. It provides the reader with a clear and coherent explanation of the unique properties of water and how these allow it to affect landscapes and underpin all life on Earth. Contemporary issues surrounding water quality – such as the rise of microplastics and climate change – are highlighted, ensuring readers understand current debates. Giving all of the necessary background and up-to-date references, and including numerous examples and illustrations to explain concepts, worked mathematical calculations, and extensive end-of-chapter questions, this is the ideal introductory textbook for students seeking to understand the inextricable links between water and the environment.

This chapter covers basic concepts in power system operations and electricity markets. Basic concepts of power generation include variable cost, marginal cost, fixed cost, investment cost, the weighted average cost of capital, and the definition of a natural monopoly. Basic concepts of transmission and distribution include a discussion of Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws, the power flow equations, and the direct current power flow. Basic concepts of consumption include the notion of valuation/marginal benefit, demand functions, demand elasticity, and the value of lost load. The actors of electricity markets are introduced, including transmission/independent system operators, distribution system operators, utilities, load serving entities, retailers, power exchanges, and transmission companies. Reserves and ancillary services are then introduced, and details about the forward-looking and rolling nature of power system operations are discussed. Exchanges and pools are informally defined, and the debate between uniform and pay-as-bid pricing is detailed. A blueprint of a typical electricity markets, with the participating actors and traded products and services, is introduced. The California and Central Western European markets are compared in order to introduce the debate between zonal and nodal pricing, as well as different approaches in pricing.

This concise and rigorous textbook introduces students to the subject of continuum thermodynamics, providing a complete treatment of the subject with practical applications to material modelling.

• Presents mathematical prerequisites and the foundations of continuum mechanics, taking the student step-by-step through the subject to allow full understanding of the theory.

• Introduces more advanced topics such as theories for the investigation of material models, showing how they relate to real-world practical applications.

• Numerous examples and illustrations, alongside end-of-chapter problems with helpful hints, help describe complex concepts and mathematical derivations.

Chapter 3 explains that Ho Chi Minh insisted on respecting the basic terms of the Geneva accords even as it became obvious that the rival regime headed by Ngo Dinh Diem in Saigon had no intention of doing the same. Ho’s passivity in the face of Diem’s actions shocked and dismayed some of his own followers, especially in the South. In 1959, Hanoi finally sanctioned insurgent activity below the 17th parallel, but under restricting guidelines because Ho feared provoking US intervention. His tentativeness alienated growing segments of partisans, including Le Duan, a rising star in communist ranks. By 1963, the tension between Ho and other “doves,” on the one hand, and Le Duan and other “hawks” who favored all-out war to “liberate” the South, on the other, had split the Vietnamese communist movement into two competing, rival wings. Following Diem’s overthrow in a coup abetted by the United States in early November 1963, Le Duan and his chief lieutenants staged a coup of their own in Hanoi. The new regime at once escalated hostilities in the South, resuming Fourth Civil War for Vietnam and setting Hanoi on an irreversible collision course with the United States.

Water shapes the planet and all life upon it. Breaking down traditional disciplinary barriers, this accessible, holistic introduction to the role and importance of water in Earth’s physical and biological environments assumes no prior knowledge. It provides the reader with a clear and coherent explanation of the unique properties of water and how these allow it to affect landscapes and underpin all life on Earth. Contemporary issues surrounding water quality – such as the rise of microplastics and climate change – are highlighted, ensuring readers understand current debates. Giving all of the necessary background and up-to-date references, and including numerous examples and illustrations to explain concepts, worked mathematical calculations, and extensive end-of-chapter questions, this is the ideal introductory textbook for students seeking to understand the inextricable links between water and the environment.

This chapter explores the background to the Vietnam War, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s own past. The historical experience of the Vietnamese with outside invasion produced over time a national myth of indomitability even as regional and other identities remained fractured. Internecine and fratricidal violence were hallmarks of pre-modern Vietnamese history. French colonial rule in the 19th and 20th centuries influenced the distinct self-images of the Vietnamese and exacerbated social, ethnic, sectarian, and regional cleavages. The suffering and humiliation, personal as well as national, endured under French domination inspired emergent patriotic sentiments. Eventually, Marxism–Leninism became popular as an ideology explaining the Vietnamese condition and offering a blueprint for reclaiming national dignity. iIt informed understandings of the French presence in Vietnam and, subsequently, the Japanese occupation of Indochina in World War II. The chapter concludes with a fresh interpretation of the communist-led August Revolution of 1945, which spawned a Vietnamese civil war lasting thirty years.