The Four Major Laws Of Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is defined as “the study of heat transfer and its relationship to doing work.” Specifically, it is a field of physics that has to do with “the transfer of energy from one place to another or from one form to another” (Drake P.1). Heat acts as a form of energy that equates to a total amount of work. Heat was recognized as a form of energy around the year 1798. Count Rumford (Sir Benjamin Thompson), a British military engineer, observed that “numerous amounts of heat could be generated in the boring of cannon barrels” (Drake P.1), which is where a cannon’s firing port is enlarged using a drill and immense amounts of heat to make the metal malleable. He also observed that “the work done in turning a blunt boring tool was proportional

The zeroth law of thermodynamics states that “when two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, the first two systems are in thermal equilibrium with each other.” (Drake P.1). The first law of thermodynamics states that the change in internal energy of a system is equivalent to the total work done by the system subtracted from the total heat transfer into the system. This law is represented by the equation The variable represents the change in internal energy of the system, represents the total heat transferred into the system, and represents the total work done by the system. The second law states that heat flows spontaneously from hotter to colder regions but never in the reverse direction. It also states that the total entropy can never decrease over time for an isolated system; it will always increase over time. Additionally, the changes in entropy in the universe can never be negative. The third law states that “the entropy of a perfect crystal of an element in its most stable form tends to zero as the temperature approaches absolute zero.” (Drake P.1). Thermodynamics developed quickly throughout the 19th century because of the need to improve steam engines and how they worked. The thermodynamics laws can be applied to “all physical and biological systems” (Drake P.1). These laws of thermodynamics are able to give people an explanation about a variety of changes in the energy of a system, along with its

Quantum thermodynamic scientists are aiming to explore the behavior outside the lines of conventional thermodynamics. This exploration could be used for functional cases, which include “improving lab-based refrigeration techniques, creating batteries with enhanced capabilities and refining technology of quantum computing.” (Merali P.1). However, this field is still in an early state of exploration. Experiments, including the one that is being performed at Oxford University, are just beginning to test these predictions. “A flurry of attempts has been made to calculate how thermodynamics and the quantum theory might combine” (Merali P. 1). However, quantum physicist Peter Hänggi stated that “there is far too much theory and not enough experiment” (Merali P.1) in this field of study, which is why its credibility is undermined. Nevertheless, people are starting to put more effort into understanding quantum thermodynamics in order to make