What is thermodynamics?

What is thermodynamics? What are the laws of thermodynamics?These questions will be answered here as you explore and see how thermodynamics is part of our life.

Thermodynamics came from two Greek words. These words are thermos and dynamis.

The meaning of thermos is heat and the meaning of dynamis is motion, movement, power, or work.

Therefore, the meaning of thermodynamics is movement of heat and how heat can create movement.

Because dynamis also means work, you can also say that it is the study of how heat can produce work on external things.

Keep in mind as well that heat has the ability to change the temperature of things and pressure can create heat.

Therefore, a study of thermodynamics focuses on all the followings:

  • Mechanical work
  • Changes in temperature 
  • Change in pressure
  • And their ability to do energy transformation or energy conservation.

There are two things to always keep in mind. There two things are at the foundation of thermodynamics.

  • Heat flows from hot to cold and never from cold to hot.
  • Energy is conserved.

First law of thermodynamics