J. Willard Gibbs
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Gibbs’s 3rd Paper – not for the faint of heart!
[Gibbs’ “Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances”] is unquestionably among the greatest and most enduring monuments of the wonderful scientific activity of the nineteenth century. – H. A. Bumstead [1] Like Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia, this work of Willard Gibbs stands out in the history of man’s intellectual progress as an imperishable monument to the power of… Continue reading
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J. Willard Gibbs – setting the stage
I will be writing about the work of J. Willard Gibbs (1839-1903) in the next several posts and wanted to provide the following context before doing so. Mirco-to-macro and the 1st Law of Thermodynamics In the world of classical thermodynamics, we are concerned with the macroscopic properties of matter and how they change in various… Continue reading
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Riddle me this: what is the physical significance of T∆S in Gibbs’ maximum work equation?
Remember this? Maximum work = -∆Grxn = -(∆Hrxn – T∆Srxn) At some point toward the end of undergraduate thermodynamics, we were taught this equation. Unfortunately, most of us, myself included, graduated without actually understanding it. Why? You already know the answer, just by looking at it. Because entropy is involved. While many have a reasonable… 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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