A History of Thermodynamics: The Doctrine of Energy and Entropy / Edition 1

by Ingo Mïller

Overview

The most exciting and significant episode of scientific progress is the development of thermodynamics and electrodynamics in the 19th century and early 20th century. The nature of heat and temperature was recognized, the conservation of energy was discovered, and the realization that mass and energy are equivalent provided a new fuel, – and unlimited power. Much of this occurred in unison with the rapid technological advance provided by the steam engine, the electric motor, internal combustion engines, refrigeration and the rectification processes of the chemical industry. The availability of cheap power and cheap fuel has had its impact on society: Populations grew, the standard of living increased, the envir- ment became clean, traffic became easy, and life expectancy was raised. Knowledge fairly exploded. The western countries, where all this happened, gained in power and influence, and western culture – scientific culture – spread across the globe, and is still spreading. At the same time, thermodynamics recognized the shastic and probabilistic aspect of natural processes. It turned out that the doctrine of energy and entropy rules the world; the first ingredient – energy – is deterministic, as it were, and the second – entropy – favours randomness. Both tendencies compete, and they find the precarious balance needed for stability and change alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783540462262
Publisher:	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date:	03/22/2007
Edition description:	2007
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

Temperature.- Energy.- Entropy.- Entropy as S = k ln W.- Chemical Potentials.- Third Law of Thermodynamics.- Radiation Thermodynamics.- Thermodynamics of Irreversible Processes.- Fluctuations.- Relativistic Thermodynamics.- Metabolism.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"Müller … summarizes the historical development of thermodynamic concepts, going into great depth to detail how certain discoveries were interconnected and how numerous researchers developed these theories based on current available knowledge. … Readers will appreciate how researchers in the 19th century had to develop basic concepts … . Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals." (H. Giesche, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (2), 2007)

"An exhaustive history and presentation of current state of research in the subject of thermodynamics. … This book is too good … . The author is an important leader in this field, with most impressive record of research publications. This is a great book, which should be in the library of any scientist interested in thermodynamics. It is easy to read … . It contains a lot of information about thermodynamics, certainly the history, and biographies of prominent creators of our knowledge." (Vadim Komkov, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1131 (9), 2008)

From the Publisher