Thermodynamics For Dummies

Take some heat off the complexity of thermodynamics Does the mere thought of thermodynamics make you sweat? Itdoesn't have to! This hands-on guide helps you score your highestin a thermodynamics course by offering easily understood,plain-English explanations of how energy is used in things likeautomobiles, airplanes, air conditioners, and electric powerplants. Thermodynamics 101 — take a look at some examples of bothnatural and man-made thermodynamic systems and get a handle on howenergy can be used to perform work Turn up the heat — discover how to use the first andsecond laws of thermodynamics to determine (and improve upon) theefficiency of machines Oh, behave — get the 411 on how gases behave and relate toone another in different situations, from ideal-gas laws to realgases Burn with desire — find out everything you need to knowabout conserving mass and energy in combustion processes Open the book and find: The laws of thermodynamics Important properties and their relationships The lowdown on solids, liquids, and gases How work and heat go handin hand The cycles that power thermodynamic processes Chemical mixtures and reactions Ten pioneers in thermodynamics Real-world applications of thermodynamic laws and concepts Learn to: Master the concepts and principles of thermodynamics Develop the problem-solving skills used by professionalengineers Ace your thermodynamics course

Take some heat off the complexity of thermodynamics Does the mere thought of thermodynamics make you sweat? It doesn't have to! This hands-on guide helps you score your highest in a thermodynamics course by offering easily understood, plain-English explanations of how energy is used in things like automobiles, airplanes, air conditioners, and electric power plants. Thermodynamics 101 — take a look at some examples of both natural and man-made thermodynamic systems and get a handle on how energy can be used to perform work Turn up the heat — discover how to use the first and second laws of thermodynamics to determine (and improve upon) the efficiency of machines Oh, behave — get the 411 on how gases behave and relate to one another in different situations, from ideal-gas laws to real gases Burn with desire — find out everything you need to know about conserving mass and energy in combustion processes Open the book and find: The laws of thermodynamics Important properties and their relationships The lowdown on solids, liquids, and gases How work and heat go handin hand The cycles that power thermodynamic processes Chemical mixtures and reactions Ten pioneers in thermodynamics Real-world applications of thermodynamic laws and concepts Learn to: Master the concepts and principles of thermodynamics Develop the problem-solving skills used by professional engineers Ace your thermodynamics course

Clear treatment of systems and first and second laws of thermodynamics features informal language, vivid and lively examples, and fresh perspectives. Excellent supplement for undergraduate science or engineering class.

Does just thinking about the laws of motion make your head spin? Does studying electricity short your circuits? Do the complexities of thermodynamics cool your enthusiasm? Thanks to this book, you don’t have to be Einstein to understand physics. As you read about Newton's Laws, Kepler's Laws, Hooke's Law, Ohm's Law, and others, you’ll appreciate the For Dummies law: The easier we make it, the faster people understand it and the more they enjoy it! Whether you're taking a class, helping kids with homework, or trying to find out how the world works, this book helps you understand basic physics. It covers: Measurements, units, and significant figures Forces such as displacement, speed, and acceleration Vectors and physics notation Motion, energy, and waves (sound, light, wave-particle) Solids, liquids, and gases Thermodynamics Electromagnetism Relativity Atomic and nuclear structures Steven Holzner, Ph.D. earned his B.S. at MIT and his Ph.D. at Cornell, where he taught Physics 101 and 102 for over 10 years. He livens things up with cool physics facts, real-world examples, and simple experiments that will heighten your enthusiasm for physics and science. The book ends with some out-of-this world physics that will set your mind in motion: The possibility of wormholes in space The Big Bang How the gravitational pull of black holes is too strong for even light to escape May the Force be with you!

Your ticket to excelling in mechanics of materials With roots in physics and mathematics, engineering mechanics is the basis of all the mechanical sciences: civil engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and aeronautical and aerospace engineering. Tracking a typical undergraduate course, Mechanics of Materials For Dummies gives you a thorough introduction to this foundational subject. You'll get clear, plain-English explanations of all the topics covered, including principles of equilibrium, geometric compatibility, and material behavior; stress and its relation to force and movement; strain and its relation to displacement; elasticity and plasticity; fatigue and fracture; failure modes; application to simple engineering structures, and more. Tracks to a course that is a prerequisite for most engineering majors Covers key mechanics concepts, summaries of useful equations, and helpful tips From geometric principles to solving complex equations, Mechanics of Materials For Dummies is an invaluable resource for engineering students!

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal, and from the unfurling of a leaf to the course of life itself - everything is directed and constrained by four simple laws. They establish fundamental concepts such as temperature and heat, and reveal the arrow of time and even the nature of energy itself. Peter Atkins' powerful and compelling introduction explains what the laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics. Guiding the reader from the Zeroth Law to the Third Law, he introduces the fascinating concept of entropy, and how it not only explains why your desk tends to get messier, but also how its unstoppable rise constitutes the engine of the universe.

Thermodynamics is the science that describes the behavior of matter at the macroscopic scale, and how this arises from individual molecules. As such, it is a subject of profound practical and fundamental importance to many science and engineering fields. Despite extremely varied applications ranging from nanomotors to cosmology, the core concepts of thermodynamics such as equilibrium and entropy are the same across all disciplines. A Conceptual Guide to Thermodynamics serves as a concise, conceptual and practical supplement to the major thermodynamics textbooks used in various fields. Presenting clear explanations of the core concepts, the book aims to improve fundamental understanding of the material, as well as homework and exam performance. Distinctive features include: Terminology and Notation Key: A universal translator that addresses the myriad of conventions, terminologies, and notations found across the major thermodynamics texts. Content Maps: Specific references to each major thermodynamic text by section and page number for each new concept that is introduced. Helpful Hints and Don’t Try Its: Numerous useful tips for solving problems, as well as warnings of common student pitfalls. Unique Explanations: Conceptually clear, mathematically fairly simple, yet also sufficiently precise and rigorous. A more extensive set of reference materials, including older and newer editions of the major textbooks, as well as a number of less commonly used titles, is available online at http://www.conceptualthermo.com. Undergraduate and graduate students of chemistry, physics, engineering, geosciences and biological sciences will benefit from this book, as will students preparing for graduate school entrance exams and MCATs.

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics An Integrated Approach This textbook brings together the fundamentals of the macroscopic and microscopic aspects of thermal physics by presenting thermodynamics and statistical mechanics as complementary theories based on small numbers of postulates. The book is designed to give the instructor flexibility in structuring courses for advanced undergraduates and/or beginning graduate students and is written on the principle that a good text should also be a good reference. The presentation of thermodynamics follows the logic of Clausius and Kelvin while relating the concepts involved to familiar phenomena and the modern student’s knowledge of the atomic nature of matter. Another unique aspect of the book is the treatment of the mathematics involved. The essential mathematical concepts are briefly reviewed before using them, and the similarity of the mathematics to that employed in other fields of physics is emphasized. The text gives in-depth treatments of low-density gases, harmonic solids, magnetic and dielectric materials, phase transitions, and the concept of entropy. The microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical ensembles of statistical mechanics are derived and used as the starting point for the analysis of fluctuations, blackbody radiation, the Maxwell distribution, Fermi-Dirac statistics, Bose-Einstein condensation, and the statistical basis of computer simulations.