Tag Archive for: Thermodynamics
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What Thermodynamics and Entropy Means
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Introduction
The student of thermodynamics, as they consider pistons and ideal gasses and such, often begin to grasp the nature of entropy only to find…
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How to Better Define Information in Physics
When I ask questions about the conservation of information I frequently get the reply, “It depends on what you mean by information.” So, I researched…
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Learn Statistical Mechanics: The Ideal Gas
Read Part 1: Equilibrium Systems
The Ideal Gas: Boltzmann's Approach (The Microcanonical Ensemble)
Consider a monatomic gas of ##N## non-interacting…
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Learn Statistical Mechanics: Equilibrium Systems
This is the first of a multi-part series of articles intended to give a concise overview of statistical mechanics and some of its applications. These articles…
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Learn Partial Differentiation Without Tears
Differentiation is usually taught quite well. Perhaps that's because it is the first introduction to calculus, which is considered a big step in a student's…
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Was the Early Universe in a Disordered State?
No. The second law of thermodynamics says that entropy can only increase, so if the early universe had been in a state of maximum entropy, then the cosmos…
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How to Build a Definition for Heat
One of the most frustrating misconceptions in Thermodynamics centers on the actual definition of heat. Many science/engineering students often refer to…
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Reversible vs Irreversible Gas Compression and Expansion Work
Introduction
In learning Thermodynamics, one of the difficult concepts that many students struggle with is the difference between reversible and irreversible…
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What are Negative Absolute Temperatures
It's a famous result in thermodynamics that you can't reach absolute zero no matter how hard you try. Also, the definition of absolute zero makes it obvious…
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Understanding Entropy and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Introduction
The second law of thermodynamics and the associated concept of entropy have been sources of confusion to thermodynamics students for centuries.…