Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that studies the relations between heat, work, and energy. It deals with the large scale response of a system which can be observed and measured in experiments.
Thermodynamics revolves around a few fundamental principles or laws, and they govern a wide range of physical phenomena:
- Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics:
- If two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other. This law introduces the concept of temperature.
- First Law of Thermodynamics (Conservation of Energy):
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted from one form to another. Mathematically, it’s often expressed as:
[ \Delta U = Q – W ]
where ( \Delta U ) is the change in internal energy, ( Q ) is the heat added to the system, and ( W ) is the work done by the system on its surroundings.
- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or converted from one form to another. Mathematically, it’s often expressed as:
- Second Law of Thermodynamics:
- Energy has quality as well as quantity. Only the quantity is conserved as per the First Law. The Second Law asserts that processes occur in a certain direction and that energy has quality. Moreover, energy transfer will happen spontaneously only from a high-temperature body to a lower-temperature body. It also introduces the concept of entropy, a measure of disorder in the system, which always increases for an isolated system.
- Third Law of Thermodynamics:
- As the temperature of a system approaches absolute zero (0 Kelvin or -273.15°C), the entropy of the system approaches a minimum. This means that at absolute zero, a perfect crystal has zero entropy.
Key Concepts in Thermodynamics:
- System and Surroundings: The part of the universe under study is called the system, and everything else is called surroundings.
- State Functions: These are properties that only depend on the state of the system, not on how the system arrived at that state. Examples include internal energy, entropy, and temperature.
- Processes: When a system undergoes a change from one state to another, it’s called a thermodynamic process (like isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, and isochoric processes).
- Cycles: A series of thermodynamic processes that return a system to its initial state, often used in the context of engines.
- Phase Transitions: Changes between states of matter, such as melting (solid to liquid), evaporation (liquid to gas), and others.
- Equations of State: Mathematical equations that relate state functions like pressure, volume, and temperature (e.g., the ideal gas law).
Thermodynamics plays a foundational role in various scientific and engineering domains, including chemistry, material science, and mechanical engineering, influencing everything from the operation of engines to the behavior of chemical reactions.