Ludwig Boltzmann
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James Clerk Maxwell’s path to the Gaussian distribution
If a great many equal spherical particles were in motion in a perfectly elastic vessel, collisions would take place among the particles, and their velocities would be altered at every collision; so that after a certain time the vis viva [kinetic energy] will be divided among the particles according to some regular law. – James… Continue reading
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Truncated lives of science
Antoine Lavoisier Do you want to generate an engaging discussion amongst thermodynamics historians? Play the “what if they had lived?” game, starting with Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794). Through his meticulous work in the laboratory he discovered the conservation of mass, provided understanding of respiration as the reaction of oxygen and carbon to yield carbon dioxide and… Continue reading
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Riddle me this: why does a gas deviate from ideal behavior?
Years ago, during on-campus interview season at college, a friend of mine majoring in electrical engineering told of how difficult one of his interviews was. “The interviewer asked me how an oscilloscope worked, and I carefully explained how to plug in the different wires and then how to adjust the knobs and so on. He… 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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