TABLE OF CONTENTS Thermodynamics is an aspect of physics which deals with the energy characteristics of materials and with the behavior of systems undergoing changes in system energy levels. The field of thermodynamics is quite broad as well as deep, and can vary in presentation and in application from relatively simple to very complex. For the purposes of this book, a relatively simple presentation is adequate. The concepts of thermodynamics presented here are common to virtually all textbooks and reference books. For those who want greater detail, Chap. 1 of the ASHRAE Handbook Fundamentals is one presentation written at a college upper-division or graduate-student level.1 ,2
One problem with understanding thermodynamics is that the basic terms energy and entropy are defined in relatives rather than absolutes.
Energy can be reduced to the concepts of heat and work and can be found in various forms: potential energy, kinetic energy, thermal or internal energy, chemical energy, and nuclear energy.
Potential energy is the energy of location or position of a mass in a force field. A body or a volume of water at the top of a hill has potential energy with respect to the bottom of the hill.
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion and is proportional to the square of the velocity as well as to the mass of the moving body.
Internal energy has to do with activity within the molecular structure of matter, and is typically observed...
