Thermodynamics: In physics, thermodynamics is the study of the conversion of energy into work and heat and its relation to macroscopic variables such as temperature, volume and pressure. Its progenitor, based on statistical predictions of the collective motion of particles from their microscopic behavior, is the field of statistical thermodynamics (or statistical mechanics), a branch of statistical physics. Historically, thermodynamics developed out of need to increase the efficiency of early steam engines. Today, thermodynamic design is an integral part of many electric, electronic equipment designs, machine and engine designs….etc. Without careful consideration of heating effects, heat dissipation, temperature control…etc., premature product failure is inevitable.
Thermodynamics is an applied science used in several branches of engineering, including mechanical and chemical engineering. At its simplest, thermodynamics is the study of energy, its use and transformation through a system. Typically, engineering thermodynamics is concerned with changing energy from one form to another. As an example, automotive engines convert chemical energy (enthalpy) from the fuel into heat, and then into mechanical work that eventually turns the wheels.
Thermodynamics principles are used by mechanical engineers in the fields of heat transfer, thermofluids, and energy conversion. Mechanical engineers use thermo-science to design engines and power plants, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, heat exchangers, heat sinks, radiators, refrigeration, insulation, and others.
Simplified Laws Of Thermodynamics
1. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. In other words, in a closed system, the total amount of energy that can be taken out of the system will be equal to the total amount of energy that was put into the system.
2. In any given exchange of energy, there will always be energy lost. This is referred to as entropy. This basically means that in any system, energy will always be lost in some means, be it friction, or some random quantum effect. This also implies that there can be no such thing as a perpetual motion machine as energy will always be lost in some form.
Note that this lost isn't mean to say "destroyed". It rather means unusable. That lost energy is transfered to the microscopical degrees of freedom of the system, as are molecular vibrations, place in which we call it "heat".
3. No system can reach absolute zero temperature. This is due to the fact that at absolute zero, a system has no energy, and thus does not move. Although this does not cause any problems in the sense of classical mechanics; it does cause problems on the quantum level. If a particle had no movement at all, its speed would be exactly known (zero, exactly), which is forbidden by Heissenberg's uncertainty principle.
Thermodynamics is an applied science used in several branches of engineering, including mechanical and chemical engineering. At its simplest, thermodynamics is the study of energy, its use and transformation through a system. Typically, engineering thermodynamics is concerned with changing energy from one form to another. As an example, automotive engines convert chemical energy (enthalpy) from the fuel into heat, and then into mechanical work that eventually turns the wheels.
Thermodynamics principles are used by mechanical engineers in the fields of heat transfer, thermofluids, and energy conversion. Mechanical engineers use thermo-science to design engines and power plants, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, heat exchangers, heat sinks, radiators, refrigeration, insulation, and others.
Simplified Laws Of Thermodynamics
1. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. In other words, in a closed system, the total amount of energy that can be taken out of the system will be equal to the total amount of energy that was put into the system.
2. In any given exchange of energy, there will always be energy lost. This is referred to as entropy. This basically means that in any system, energy will always be lost in some means, be it friction, or some random quantum effect. This also implies that there can be no such thing as a perpetual motion machine as energy will always be lost in some form.
Note that this lost isn't mean to say "destroyed". It rather means unusable. That lost energy is transfered to the microscopical degrees of freedom of the system, as are molecular vibrations, place in which we call it "heat".
3. No system can reach absolute zero temperature. This is due to the fact that at absolute zero, a system has no energy, and thus does not move. Although this does not cause any problems in the sense of classical mechanics; it does cause problems on the quantum level. If a particle had no movement at all, its speed would be exactly known (zero, exactly), which is forbidden by Heissenberg's uncertainty principle.