The refrigerator and the universe : understanding the laws of energy
This volume explains the laws of thermodynamics in terms that beginners might understand. The authors begin with the historical development of thermodynamics -- how attempts by engineers and natural philosophers to understand the nature of heat and how to use it efficiently in heat engines led in the 19th century to the discovery of two fundamental laws of energy. They then show how the laws follow from the atomic theory of matter and give examples of their applicability to such phenomena as the formation of diamonds, how blood carries oxygen, and the history of the universe and evolution of life. The laws of thermodynamics describe the transport of heat and work in thermodynamic processes. These laws have become some of the most important in all of physics and other types of science
Print Book, English, 1995, ©1993
Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1995, ©1993