Thermodynamics

French physicist Sadi Carnot is considered the key figure in the development of thermodynamics due to his work on early steam engines and his belief that engine efficiency could help France win the Napoleonic Wars.

The four laws of thermodynamics govern the behavior of heat, work, temperature, energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation.

Thermodynamics may be explained in terms of microscopic constituents by statistical mechanics, which provides a microscopic interpretation of the macroscopic behavior described by thermodynamics.

<p>Thermodynamics applies to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, especially physical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and other complex fields such as meteorology.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Scots-Irish physicist Lord Kelvin was the first to formulate a concise description of the second law of thermodynamics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sadi Carnot</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Thermodynamics</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Thermodynamics</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Lord Kelvin</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Using measurable macroscopic physical quantities and statistical mechanics</p> Signup and view all the answers