Thermodynamics is the branch of science concerned with the nature of heat and its conversion to any form of energy. In thermodynamics, both the thermodynamic system and its environment are considered. A thermodynamic system, in general, is defined by its volume, pressure, temperature, and chemical make-up. In general, the environment will contain heat sources with unlimited heat capacity allowing it to give and receive heat without changing its temperature. Whenever the conditions change, the thermodynamic system will respond by changing its state; the temperature, volume, pressure, or chemical make-up will adjust accordingly in order to reach its original state of equilibrium. There are three laws of thermodynamics in which the changing system can follow in order to return to equilibrium.
In order for a system to gain energy the surroundings have to supply it, and visa versa when the system looses energy the surroundings must gain it. As the energy is transferred it can be converted form its original form to another as the transfer takes place, but the energy will never be created or destroyed. The first law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of conservation of energy, basically restates that energy can’t be destroyed or created “as follows: the total energy of the universe is a constant.” All around the conservation of energy is applied. When gasoline burns in the engine of a car, an equal amount of work and heat appear as the energy is released. The heat from the engine warms its surroundings, the cars parts, the air, and the passenger area. The heat energy is converted into the electrical energy of the radio, chemical energy of the battery, and radiant energy of the lights. The change in the sum of all of the energies formed from the burnt gasoline would be equal to the “…change in energy between the reactants and products.” Biological processes, like photosynthesis, also follow energy conservation. The green plants convert the radiant energy emitted by the Sun into useful chemical energy, such as the oxygen that we breathe. The energy transferred between any surroundings and any system can be in the form of various types of work, chemical, mechanical, radiant, electrical, or heat.
The second law of thermodynamics is expressed as a cycle that “all processes occur spontaneously in the direction that increases the entropy of the universe (system plus surrounding).” Entropy, the number of ways the components of a system can be rearranged without changing the system, plays a major roll in the second law of thermodynamics.
Thermodynamics is essentially how heat energy transfers from one substance to another. In “Joe Science vs. the Water Heater,” the temperature of water in a water heater must be found without measuring the water directly from the water heater. This problem was translated to the lab by providing heated water, fish bowl thermometers, styrofoam cups, and all other instruments found in the lab. The thermometer only reaches 45 degrees celsius; therefore, thermodynamic equations need to be applied in order to find the original temperature of the hot water. We also had access to deionized water that was approximately room temperature.
When there is a heat exchange between two objects, the object’s temperature will change. The rate at which this change will occur happens according to Newton’s Law of heating and cooling. This law states the rate of temperature change is directly proportional between the two objects. The data in this lab will exhibit that an object will stay in a state of temperature equilibrium, unless the object comes in contact with another object of a different temperature. Newton’s Law of Heat and Cooling can be understood by using this formula:
Metaphysics is the search for an ultimate principle by which all real things and relations are ordered. It formulates fundamental statements about existence and change. A reversible (absolute) causality is thought to be the ultimate of reality. It is argued that a real (causal) process relating changes of any nature (physical, mental) and any sort (quantitative, qualitative, and substantial) reverses the order of its agency (action, influence, operation, producing): real causation must run in the opposite direction, or change to the opposite effect. A reversible process is a cyclical process, and all cyclical processes are reversible. The world is becoming active because it produces reversible processes; reversible processes organize the world. The world is the totality of interrelated cyclic processes occurring with all kinds of agents (objects, substances, and things).
The is the law of cause and effect at work. In this way, the effect of one's
The term “entropy” describes a “measure of disorder or randomness in an isolated system” (Dictionary.com). According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the entropy of an isolated system will always increase over time. Therefore, disorder and randomness are constantly increasing. Amis drew from both this law and the work of the physicist A.S. Eddington in writing T...
Lambert, Frank L. The Second Law of Thermodynamics! January 2011. Occidental College. Web 19 April 2015.
Cengel, Y. A., & Boles, M. A. (2011). Thermodynamics: An engineering approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.¬¬¬¬
First a quick explanation of entropy; entropy is a thermodynamic property that is a measure of energy that is not useful; it is also regularly used to combat the theory of evolution. It explains how order can never come out of disorder and that random order can never spontaneously be generated.
The first law of thermodynamics simply states that heat is a form of energy and heat energy cannot be created nor destroyed. In this lab we were measuring the change in temperature and how it affected the enthalpy of the reaction.
Heat is thermal energy being transferred from one place to another, because of temperature changes. This can take place by three processes. These three processes are known as conduction, convection, and radiation.
As discussed in class, submission of your solutions to this exam will indicate that you have not communicated with others concerning this exam. You may use reference texts and other information at your disposal. Do all problems separately on clean white standard 8.5” X 11” photocopier paper (no notebook paper or scratch paper). Write on only one side of the paper (I don’t do double sided). Staple the entire solution set in the upper left hand corner (no binders or clips). Don’t turn in pages where you have scratched out or erased excessively, re-write the pages cleanly and neatly. All problems are equally weighted. Assume we are working with “normal” pressures and temperatures with ideal gases unless noted otherwise. Make sure you list all assumptions that you use (symmetry, isotropy, binomial expansion, etc.).
Throughout Thomson’s life he made many contributions to science. These include discoveries in thermodynamics and the age of the Earth, as well as innovating the Transatlantic Cable and inventing a tide meter. After exploring thermodynamics for some time, he developed the second law of thermodynamics. This law states that there cannot be a reaction that is completely efficient; a portion of the energy is lost to heat in each reaction. It also says that heat flows to areas that...
“Don’t worry if your theory doesn’t agree with the observations, because they are probably wrong.’ But if your theory does not agree with the 2nd law of thermodynamics then it is in serious trouble”.
Fleisher, Paul. Matter and Energy: Principles of Matter and Thermodynamics. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 2002.