Raymond A. Serway and John W. Jewett. “Physics for Scientists and Engineers with modern physics“, 8th edition, Brooks/Cole, Belmont, USA (2010)

Part 3. Thermodynamics

We now direct our attention to the study of thermodynamics, which involves situations in which the temperature or state (solid, liquid, gas) of a system changes due to energy transfers. As we shall see, thermodynamics is very successful in explaining the bulk properties of matter and the correlation between these properties and the mechanics of atoms and molecules.

Historically, the development of thermodynamics paralleled the development of the atomic theory of matter. By the 1820s, chemical experiments had provided solid evidence for the existence of atoms. At that time, scientists recognized that a connection between thermodynamics and the structure of matter must exist. In 1827, botanist Robert Brown reported that grains of pollen suspended in a liquid move erratically from one place to another as if under constant agitation. In 1905, Albert Einstein used kinetic theory to explain the cause of this erratic motion, known today as Brownian motion. Einstein explained this phenomenon by assuming the grains are under constant bombardment by “invisible” molecules in the liquid, which themselves move erratically. This explanation gave scientists insight into the concept of molecular motion and gave credence to the idea that matter is made up of atoms. A connection was thus forged between the everyday world and the tiny, invisible building blocks that make up this world.

Thermodynamics also addresses more practical questions. Have you ever wondered how a refrigerator is able to cool its contents, or what types of transformations occur in a power plant or in the engine of your automobile, or what happens to the kinetic energy of a moving object when the object comes to rest? The laws of thermodynamics can be used to provide explanations for these and other phenomena.

TEMPERATURE AND HEAT

In our study of mechanics, we carefully defined such concepts as mass, force, and kinetic energy to facilitate our quantitative approach. Likewise, a quantitative description of thermal phenomena requires careful definitions of such important terms as temperature, heat, and internal energy. This chapter begins with a discussion of temperature.

Next, we consider the importance when studying thermal phenomena of the particular substance we are investigating. For example, gases expand appreciably when heated, whereas liquids and solids expand only slightly.

This session concludes with a study of ideal gases on the macroscopic scale. Here, we are concerned with the relationships among such quantities as pressure, volume, and temperature of a gas.