The term “thermodynamics” comes from Greek words “therme” and “dynamis” which means heat
power.
The term “thermodynamics” was first used in 1849 in the publication of William Rankine.
First law of thermodynamics asserts that energy is a thermodynamic property.
Second law of thermodynamics asserts that energy has quality as well as quantity.
The macroscopic approach to the study of thermodynamics that does not require a knowledge of the
behavior of individual particles is called Classical thermodynamics.
Statistical thermodynamics is more elaborate approach to the study of thermodynamics and based
on the average behavior of large groups of individual particles?
System is defined a region in space chosen for study.
The first law of thermodynamics is based on conservation of energy.
Surroundings is the mass or region outside the system.
Boundary is the real or imaginary surface that separates the system from its surroundings.
A system which consists of fixed amount of mass and no mass can cross its boundary is called closed
system.
A system in which even energy is not allowed to cross the boundary called isolated system.
A system in which there is a flow of mass is known as open system.
Open system usually encloses compressor, turbine, and nozzle.
The boundary of a control volume, which may either real or imaginary is called control surface.
Any characteristics of a thermodynamics system is called a property.
Thermodynamic properties are classified as intensive and extensive.
The thermodynamic properties that are independent on the size of the system is called intensive
property.
The thermodynamic properties that are dependent on the size or extent of the system is called
extensive property.
Extensive properties per unit mass are called specific properties.
A system is in thermal equilibrium if the temperature is the same throughout the entire system.
A system is in mechanical equilibrium if there is no change in pressure at any point of the system
with time.
If a system involves two phases, it is in phase equilibrium when the mass of each phase reaches an
equilibrium level and stays there.
A system is in chemical equilibrium of its chemical composition does not change with time, i.e., no
chemical reaction occurs.
“The state of a simple compressible system is completely specified by two independent, intensive
properties properties”. This is known as state postulate.
Without electrical, mechanical, gravitational surface tension and motion effects, a system is called
simple compressible system.
Process refers to any change that a system undergoes from one equilibrium state to another
equilibrium state.
Path refers to the series of states through which a system passes during a process.
There are two independent properties required to completely fix the equilibrium state of a pure
gaseous compound.
Quasi-state process is a process in which the system remains infinitesimally closed to an equilibrium
state at all times
A closed system may refer to control mass.
An open system may refer to control volume.
Cycle is a process with identical end states.
Steady-flow process is defined as a process during which a fluid flows through a control volume
steadily.
The sum of all the microscopic form of energy is called internal energy.
Thomas Young coined the word “energy” in 1807.
The molecules of a gas moving through space with some velocity possess translational energy.
The electrons in an atom which rotate about the nucleus possess what rotational kinetic energy.
The electrons which spin about its axis will possess spin energy.
Sensible energy refers to the portion of the internal energy of a system associated with the kinetic
energies of the molecules.
Latent energy is the internal energy associated with the phase of a system.
Chemical energy is the internal energy associated with atomic bonds in a molecule.
Nuclear energy is the extremely large amount of energy associated with the strong bonds within the
nucleus of the atom itself.
Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics states that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body,
they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other.
R. H. Fowler formulated the zeroth law of thermodynamics in 1931.
Kelvin scale is the thermodynamic temperature scale in the SI system.
Rankine scale is the thermodynamic temperature scale in the English system.
Ideal gas temperature scale is identical to the Kelvin scale.
The temperature of the ideal gas temperature scale are measured by using a constant-volume gas
thermometer.
Thermoelectric has the widest range thermometer.
Temperature range of mercury thermometer is 38° C to 350° C.
Pyrometer is type of thermometer is used principally at temperature above the first visible “red heat”.
500° C is the approximate temperature of the first visible “red heat”.
Coulomb repulsion refers to the strong repulsion between the positively charged nuclei which makes
fusion reaction difficult to attain.
All three phases of water coexist in equilibrium in triple point of water.
The pressure of water at tripoint is 0.00592 atm.
Manometer, Aneroid, Bourdon tube are used to measure pressure.
Bourdon pressure gage consists of a coiled hollow tube that tends to straighten out when the tube is
subjected to an internal pressure.
Heat is an energy that can be transferred from one object to another causing a change in temperature
of each object.
The thermodynamic variable that is a function of enthalpy and entropy of the system is the Gibb’s
free energy.
Helmholtz free energy is defined as the internal energy of a system, less that product of its entropy
and temperature.
Gibb’s Theorem states that “the total property of a mixture of ideal gases is the sum of the properties
that the individual gases would have if each occupied the same temperature.”
Heat capacity refers to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of an object by one
degree Celsius or 1 K.
Molar heat is heat capacity of one mole of a substance.