Book Details

NoIMG

A History of Thermodynamics

Publication year: 2007

ISBN: 978-3-540-46227-9

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The development of thermodynamics in the second half of the 19th century has had a strong impact on both technology and natural philosophy. It is true that the steam engine for the conversion of heat into work existed before thermodynamics was developed as a branch of physics. However, the systematic theory improved the conversion process, and it succeeded in developing other processes essential to modern life, notably refrigeration and rectification. So, altogether thermodynamics has provided humanity with cheap energy, and cheap fuel, -- consequently with cheap, and abundant, and unspoiled food. Thus thermodynamics has made populations grow, and life expectancy increase beyond anything people could possibly have imagined 200 years ago.


Subject: Engineering, Atoms, Energy, Engines, Entropy, Fluctuations, Osmosis, Phase Diagrams, Temperature, thermodynamics