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Old Monday, January 24, 2011
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Thermodynamics is the study of the inter-relation between heat, work and internal energy of a system.

The British scientist and author C.P. Snow had an excellent way of remembering the three laws:


1. You cannot win (that is, you cannot get something for nothing, because matter and energy are conserved).



First Law of Thermodynamics


The first law of thermodynamics is often called the Law of Conservation of Energy. This law suggests that energy can be transferred from one system to another in many forms. Also, it can not be created or destroyed. Thus, the total amount of energy available in the Universe is constant. Einstein's famous equation (written below) describes the relationship between energy and matter:

E = mc2

In the equation above, energy (E) is equal to matter (m) times the square of a constant (c). Einstein suggested that energy and matter are interchangeable. His equation also suggests that the quantity of energy and matter in the Universe is fixed.


2. You cannot break even (you cannot return to the same energy state, because there is always an increase in disorder; entropy always increases).


Second Law of Thermodynamics

Heat cannot be transfer from a colder to a hotter body. As a result of this fact of thermodynamics, natural processes that involve energy transfer must have one direction, and all natural processes are irreversible. This law also predicts that the entropy of an isolated system always increases with time. Entropy is the measure of the disorder or randomness of energy and matter in a system. Because of the second law of thermodynamics both energy and matter in the Universe are becoming less useful as time goes on. Perfect order in the Universe occurred the instant after the Big Bang when energy and matter and all of the forces of the Universe were unified.


3. You cannot get out of the game (because absolute zero is unattainable).


Third Law of Thermodynamics


The third law of thermodynamics states that if all the thermal motion of molecules (kinetic energy) could be removed, a state called absolute zero would occur. Absolute zero results in a temperature of 0 Kelvins or -273.15° Celsius.
Absolute Zero = 0 Kelvins = -273.15° Celsius

The Universe will attain absolute zero when all energy and matter is randomly distributed across space. The current temperature of empty space in the Universe is about 2.7 Kelvins.

I think you can easily put any relevant examples accordingly now. If you want you may go through the following links:



https://web.chemistry.ohio-state.edu...21/ch5_law.htm


http://www.ftexploring.com/energy/2nd_Law-b.html


http://secondlaw.oxy.edu/two.html


http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/keep/Mo...ThermoLaws.htm



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