Clausius
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The Road to Entropy – The Newcomen and Watt “Steam” Engines (videos)
The road to entropy began with the 18th century development of the “steam” engine by Thomas Newcomen and James Watt. But steam was not the driving force in these engines. So what was? And what was the purpose of the steam? Check out this video for the answers: Note the shout-out in the video to… Continue reading
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Riddle me this: why does dS = 0 for reversible, adiabatic expansion?
While attending an event in Syracuse, New York, I got to talking with an older chemical engineer who had once worked with my dad at Bristol-Myers Laboratories. I shared that I was writing a book on thermodynamics and we spoke some about this. At the conclusion, he looked at me and said, “You know, I… Continue reading
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Carrying the Dreams of the Montgolfier Brothers to Other Worlds
Balloons – Early Thermodynamics Machines A team of JPL engineers tests whether a large balloon can measure earthquakes from the air. The team proposes to measure “Venus-quakes” from the upper atmosphere of Venus, using an armada of balloons. The author is on the left holding a fan to inflate the solar balloon. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech… Continue reading
Block by Block – The Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Thermodynamics. “Hanlon has written a masterpiece.” – Mike Pauken, Senior Engineer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and author of Thermodynamics for Dummies
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About Me
Hi! I’m Bob Hanlon. After earning my Sc.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and enjoying a long career in both industry and academia, I’ve returned to school, my own self-guided school, seeking to better understand the world of thermodynamics. Please join me on my journey.
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