Thermodynamic Weirdness: From Fahrenheit to Clausius by Don S. Lemons (PDF)

Description

An account of the concepts and intellectual structure of classical thermodynamics that reveals the subject’s simplicity and coherence.Students of physics, chemistry, and engineering are taught classical thermodynamics through its methods—a “problems first” approach that neglects the subject’s concepts and intellectual structure. In Thermodynamic Weirdness, Don Lemons fills this gap, offering a nonmathematical account of the ideas of classical thermodynamics in all its non-Newtonian “weirdness.” By emphasizing the ideas and their relationship to one another, Lemons reveals the simplicity and coherence of classical thermodynamics. Lemons presents concepts in an order that is both chronological and logical, mapping the rise and fall of ideas in such a way that the ideas that were abandoned illuminate the ideas that took their place. Selections from primary sources, including writings by Daniel Fahrenheit, Antoine Lavoisier, James Joule, and others, appear at the end of most chapters. Lemons covers the invention of temperature; heat as a form of motion or as a material fluid; Carnot’s analysis of heat engines; William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) and his two definitions of absolute temperature; and energy as the mechanical equivalent of heat. He explains early versions of the first and second laws of thermodynamics; entropy and the law of entropy non-decrease; the differing views of Lord Kelvin and Rudolf Clausius on the fate of the universe; the zeroth and third laws of thermodynamics; and Einstein’s assessment of classical thermodynamics as “the only physical theory of universal content which I am convinced will never be overthrown.”

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Excellent overview of the key players and their contributions to thermodynamics; without being too technical to understand

⭐I’ve always had a special place in my heart for thermodynamics. I have never used it in my professional career in physics, but my love for it has never waned. In this excellent little book, the author outlines some of the important highlights in the history of this most important topic. Most chapters end with excerpts from the original writings of some of the pioneers of this field – from Fahrenheit to Clausius, as indicated in the book’s subtitle.I enjoyed this book very much. Most importantly, it is written very clearly, although I needed to read some passages a few times to allow their meanings to sink in. This is a book that can be used as a supplementary text/reference for university courses in thermodynamics. But it can also be read for the sheer pleasure of it as I did.

⭐Truly an awesome read.

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