Thermal engineering encompasses a broad range of topics that include the behavior of matter and energy and their interaction as part of a system with the surrounding environment. This course covers topics from the fields of thermodynamics and heat transfer. You will learn how to identify systems and to use thermodynamic analysis to describe the behavior of the system in terms of properties and processes. Heat transfer between systems is a fundamental part of many engineering disciplines. While thermodynamics provides the foundation for understanding the energy distribution in a system in equilibrium, heat transfer provides a means for determining the rates of energy transfer under a variety of conditions. Understanding how to apply these concepts is a powerful tool for the engineer, enabling the evaluation of material states (phases) under different conditions and the maximum efficiency achievable with various power cycles. After completing this course, you should be able to define and describe properties and processes used in thermodynamic analysis and the governing laws. You should also be able to define and describe the phenomena of conduction, convection, and radiation and apply the heat diffusion equation to determine the temperature distribution in objects subject to different thermal boundary conditions. Finally, you should be able to calculate the heat transfer rates for objects subject to different (and combined) modes of heat transfer.