1: Basic Concepts
- Page ID
- 32009
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
Thermodynamics is the description of thermal properties of matter in bulk. The study of phenomena involving the transfer of heat energy and allied processes form the subject matter. The fundamental description of the properties of matter in bulk, such as temperature, heat energy, etc., are given by statistical mechanics. For equilibrium states of a system the results of statistical mechanics give us the laws of thermodynamics. These laws were empirically enunciated before the development of statistical mechanics. Taking these laws as axioms, a logical buildup of the subject of thermodynamics is possible.
- 1.1: Definitions
- This page contains a list of basic definitions related to the contents discussed in this book.
- 1.2: The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
- The zeroth law of thermodynamics states that if two bodies A and B are in thermal equilibrium with a third body C, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other. Thermal equilibrium of two bodies will mean a restrictive relation between the thermodynamic coordinates of the first body and those of the second body.
- 1.3: Equation of State
- In specifying the equation of state, we will use the absolute temperature, denoted by t. We will introduce this concept later, but for now, we will take it as given. The absolute temperature is always positive, varying from zero (or absolute zero) to infinity. The ideal gas is then characterized by the equation of state pV=nkT where N denotes the number of molecules of the gas and k is a constant, known as Boltzmann’s constant.