Abstract
We know from experience that a macroscopic system behaves in a relatively simple manner. For example, when liquid water is heated under atmospheric pressure, it will boil at 100 °C. If the vapor so produced is cooled at the same pressure, it will condense at 100 °C. These statements hold true regardless of the initial conditions from which the body of water under consideration has evolved. This situation is in stark contrast to that in classical mechanics, in which initial conditions play a far more prominent role. In fact, our experience tells us that results of measurements we make of a macroscopic body are quite insensitive to the detailed microscopic state of the body. Thermodynamics is built on this empirical observation and systematically elucidates interconnections among these insensitive observations. In this chapter, we will review the framework of thermodynamics before attempting to interpret it from the classical mechanical point of view in Chaps. 3 and 4.
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References and Further Reading
Callen H B (1985) Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, New York Our exposition of thermodynamics is motivated, in part, by the axiomatic approach to thermodynamics by Callen. For a more detailed discussion on thermodynamics, this is probably the place to start. Chapters 1-6 should be sufficient for the first reading.
Fermi E (1956) Thermodynamics. Dover, New York One thing that is missing from Callen as well as from the current chapter is the concept of entropy introduced through purely macroscopic considerations. Fermi’s book fills this gap very nicely. Entropy is covered in the first 60 pages or so. His definition of an adiabatic process differs from ours in that he demands the process to be reversible as well.
Gibbs J W (1993) The Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs, Volume I. Thermodynamics. Ox Bow, Connecticut Contrary to some uninformed view, the original work by Gibbs still is among the most important resources on thermodynamics. This makes a notoriously difficult reading. However, the effort is more than justified by generality and rigor of the exposition.
Nishioka K (1987) An analysis of the Gibbs theory of infinitesimally discontinuous variation in thermodynamics of interface. Scripta Metallurgica 21:789–792
Whitaker S (1992) Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Krieger Publishing Company, Florida Highly readable and thoughtfully written introduction to fluid mechanics.
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Kusaka, I. (2015). Thermodynamics. In: Statistical Mechanics for Engineers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13809-1_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13809-1_2
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