Thermodynamics: What is Thermodynamics, Laws of Thermodynamics (For CBSE, ICSE, IAS, NET, NRA 2022)

Get unlimited access to the best preparation resource for AIIMS : fully solved questions with step-by-step explanation- practice your way to success.

What is Thermodynamics?

• Thermodynamics is concerned with the relationship between other forms of energy and heat. It explains how thermal energy is converted from other forms of energy.
• Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, radiation, and physical properties of matter.
• The energy coming from heat is termed Thermal energy.
• The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics which convey a quantitative description using measurable macroscopic physical quantities, but may be explained in terms of microscopic constituents by statistical mechanics.
• When the tiny particles within an object move, they generate heat, more amount of heat is generated, when these particles move at a faster pace.
• Thermodynamics applies to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, especially physical chemistry, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering, but also in other complex fields such as meteorology.

Laws of Thermodynamics

• The fundamental principles of thermodynamics were originally expressed in three laws.
• It was determined that a more fundamental law had been neglected, apparently because it had seemed so obvious that it did not need to be stated explicitly.
• Laws of thermodynamics define the fundamental physical quantities like energy, temperature, and entropy that characterize thermodynamic systems at thermal equilibrium. The four laws of thermodynamics are:
• Zeroth Law: It states that when two systems are in thermal equilibrium with the third system which is separate, the whole system together is said to be in equilibrium with one another.
• If two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with some third body, then they are also in equilibrium with each other.
• This establishes temperature as a fundamental and measurable property of matter.
• First Law: It states the law of conservation of energy when applied to a system in which the energy transfer occurs from or towards the system (with the help of heat and work) .
• This states that heat is a form of energy and is therefore subject to the principle of conservation.
• It represents the relation between the work done by the system, heat supplied to the system and the change in the internal energy of the system.
• Second Law: heat energy cannot be transferred from a body at a lower temperature to a body at a higher temperature without the addition of energy.
• It states that it is not possible to find a system, where the absorption of heat from the reservoir is the complete conversion of heat into work.
• Third Law: This law states that at an absolute zero temperature, the system posses minimum energy.
• Entropy is sometimes called “waste energy,” i.e.. , energy that is unable to do work, and since there is no heat energy whatsoever at absolute zero, there can be no waste energy.
• It is also a measure of the disorder in a system, and while a perfect crystal is by definition perfectly ordered, any positive value of temperature means there is motion within the crystal, which causes disorder.
• For these reasons, there can be no physical system with lower entropy, so entropy always has a positive value.

Enthalpy

• In a thermodynamic setup, enthalpy is the measurement of energy.
• Quantity of enthalpy equals the total content of the heat of a system, equivalent to the system՚s internal energy plus the product of volume and pressure.
• So, H (the enthalpy) , equals the sum of E (the internal energy) , and P (the product of the pressure) , and V (volume) of the system.
• H = E + PV

Entropy

• It՚s value depends on the physical state or condition of a system.
• It is a thermodynamic function that is utilized to measure the disorder or randomness of a system.
• For instance, the entropy of a solid, where particle movement is restricted, is less than the entropy of gas, wherein the particles occupy the container.