Thermodynamics plays an important role in science and engineering. Most physical processes of engineering interest operate on thermodynamic principles. Thermodynamics is the science dealing exclusively with the principles of energy conversion. This message is conveyed by the word itself: “thermo” means “heat” — a manifestation of energy — and “dynamics” deals with “motion.”
Often times, we do not use thermodynamics as much as we should. This is either because we do not know how useful a tool it can be, or, simply because we do not know how to use it.
The basic ingredients for the utilization of thermodynamics are:
The goal of this module, combined with all the background that we already have built on fluid behavior, is to establish a foundation for us to cultivate a culture of the appropriate utilization of thermodynamics.
What kinds of problems can be solved with thermodynamics? There are three general classes of thermodynamic problems.
In science and engineering, mathematical rigor is of essence. The next sections will take us through the mathematics of thermodynamics.