joule
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Physical chemistry – a new field in science
As a young man I tried to read thermodynamics, but I always came up against entropy as a brick wall that stopped any further progress. – James Swinburne (1904) [1] The second law of thermodynamics, which is known also as the law of the dissipation or degradation of energy, or the law of the increase… Continue reading
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The Unsung Legacy of Rudolf Clausius
We are now entering the final stages of our journey towards the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, a journey arguably started by Carnot and continued by a host of others, including Émile Clapeyron, James Joule, William Rankine, and William Thomson. In the end, though, it was Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888) who took the final steps. The power… Continue reading
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For every effect, there must be a cause
The 1st Law of Thermodynamics is all about energy and its conservation. In 1850 Rudolf Clausius put it into an equation by conducting an energy balance around the working substance inside a piston. ∆U = Q - W The change in internal energy of a system (U) is equal to the heat (Q) entering the system minus the work (… 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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