SCIENVP Assignment

July 8, 2017
Noah Sison - 11609168

“Thermodynamics”

What is Thermodynamics? Thermodynamics is a field of physics that is

concerned with the relationship between heat and other properties in a substance.
It mainly focuses on how heat transfer is related to energy changes in a physical
system undergoing a thermodynamic process. The Laws of Thermodynamics guide
processes usually result in work being done by the system.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF HEAT TRANSFER: (Jones, n.d)

The heat of a material is understood as a representation of the energy contained within
the particles of that material. This is known as the kinetic theory of gases, through the
concept applies in varying degrees to solids and liquids as well. The heat from the
motion of these particles can transfer into nearby particles, and therefore into other
parts of the material or other materials, through a variety of means:
Thermal Contact is when two substances can affect each other's temperature.
Thermal Equilibrium is when two substances in thermal contact no longer transfer heat.
Thermal Expansion takes place when a substance expands in volume as it gains heat.
Thermal contraction also exists.Conduction is when heat flows through a heated solid.
Convection is when heated particles transfer heat to another substance, such as
cooking something in boiling water. Radiation is when heat is transferred through
electromagnetic waves, such as from the sun. Insulation is when a low-conducting
material is used to prevent heat transfer.

THERMODYNAMIC PROCESSES: (Jones, n.d)

A system undergoes a thermodynamic process when there is some sort of energetic
change within the system, generally associated with changes in pressure, volume,
internal energy (i.e. temperature), or any sort of heat transfer.
There are several specific types of thermodynamic processes that have special
properties:
Adiabatic process - a process with no heat transfer into or out of the system.
Isochoric process - a process with no change in volume, in which case the
system does no work.
Isobaric process - a process with no change in pressure.
Isothermal process - a process with no change in temperature.

STATES OF MATTER: (Jones, n.d)

A state of matter is a description of the type of physical structure that a material
substance manifests, with properties that describe how the material holds together (or
doesn't). There are five states of matter, though only the first three of them are usually
included in the way we think about states of matter:
gas
liquid
solid
plasma
superfluid (such as a Bose-Einstein Condensate)
Many substances can transition between the gas, liquid, and solid phases of matter,
while only a few rare substances are known to be able to enter a superfluid state.
Plasma is a distinct state of matter, such as lightning
condensation - gas to liquid
freezing - liquid to solid
melting - solid to liquid
sublimation - solid to gas
vaporization - liquid or solid to gas

HEAT CAPACITY: (Jones, n.d)

The heat capacity, C, of an object is the ratio of change in heat (energy change, ΔQ,
where the Greek symbol Delta, Δ, denotes a change in the quantity) to change in
temperature (ΔT).
C = ΔQ / ΔT

The heat capacity of a substance indicates the ease with which a substance heats up. A
good thermal conductor would have a low heat capacity, indicating that a small amount
of energy causes a large temperature change. A good thermal insulator would have a
large heat capacity, indicating that much energy transfer is needed for a temperature
change.

IDEAL GAS EQUATIONS: (Jones, n.d)

There are various ideal gas equations which relate temperature (T1), pressure (P1), and
volume (V1). These values after a thermodynamic change is indicated by (T 2), (P2), and
(V2). For a given amount of a substance, n (measured in moles), the following
relationships hold:
Boyle's Law (T is constant):

P1V1 = P2V2

Charles/Gay-Lussac Law (P is constant):

V1/T1 = V2/T2
Ideal Gas Law:

P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2 = nR

R is the ideal gas constant, R = 8.3145 J/mol*K.

For a given amount of matter, therefore, nR is constant, which gives the Ideal Gas Law.

LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS: (Jones, n.d)

Zeroeth Law of Thermodynamics - Two systems each in thermal equilibrium with
a third system are in thermal equilibrium to each other.
First Law of Thermodynamics - The change in the energy of a system is the
amount of energy added to the system minus the energy spent doing work.
Second Law of Thermodynamics - It is impossible for a process to have as its
sole result the transfer of heat from a cooler body to a hotter one.
Third Law of Thermodynamics - It is impossible to reduce any system to absolute
zero in a finite series of operations. This means that a perfectly efficient heat
engine cannot be created.

The Second Law & Entropy: (Jones, n.d)

The Second Law of Thermodynamics can be restated to talk about entropy, which is a
quantitative measurement of the disorder in a system. The change in heat divided by
the absolute temperature is the entropy change of the process. Defined this way, the
Second Law can be restated as:
In any closed system, the entropy of the system will either remain constant or increase.

By "closed system" it means that every part of the process is included when calculating
the entropy of the system.

Reference: Jones, Andrew Zimmerman. "Learn the key elements of thermodynamics:

the physics of heat." ThoughtCo. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2017.