What Are The Different Laws of Energy in Thermodynamics?

Thermodynamics is a discipline of physics concerned with the interactions of heat and other types of energy. It explains how thermal energy is transformed to and from other forms of energy, as well as how thermal energy interacts with matter.

According to the University of Kentucky, thermal energy is the energy that a substance or system has as a result of its temperature — in other words, the energy of moving or vibrating molecules. Thermodynamics entails quantifying this energy, which can be “very difficult,” according to David McKee, a physics professor at Missouri Southern State University.

 When you clean your office week after week, it seems to get messier by the day, and everything contributes to an increased state of disarray, that’s the Second Thermodynamics law at work.

The First Law Of Thermodynamics

The first law of thermodynamics is one of the three laws of thermodynamics and is generally recognized as the law of energy conservation. Energy does neither generate nor destroy itself; instead, it transitions from one state to another. Turning on a light switch does not produce energy; instead, it converts electrical energy into light and heat.

Work, heat, and internal energy are all connected ideas in the first law. The transmission of thermal energy between two systems is known as heat. Work is the force that allows a system to transfer energy to its surroundings. Heat is created when work is done either within or outside of a system. Internal energy encompasses all of a system’s energy. Energy is transformed when heat, work, and internal energy interact.

The internal energy of a system reduces as it emits heat or does some kind of effort. Similarly, if heat is added to a system or work is performed on it, the system’s internal energy will increase. Any energy emitted by a system is absorbed by its surroundings, and any energy emitted by a system is absorbed by its surroundings. You’re not creating or destroying energy in any of these scenarios; it’s simply going from one location to another.

The Second Law Of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics, often known as the law of increased entropy, holds that the state of disorganisation or entropy in a system will constantly increase with time. What do we mean exactly when we say this? Consider the following scenario: why does your desk tend to get crowded as the week goes on? Or, more significantly, why does it take you so long to get your office from crowded to tidy?

The fundamental equation of thermodynamics is the explanation of thermodynamic work in similarity to mechanical work against gravity, as described by French physicist Sadi Carnot in 1824. Carnot coined the phrase motive power to describe his work. 

In the footnotes of his classic On the Motive power of fire, he writes, “We use the word motive power to express the beneficent impact that a motor is capable of creating.” This effect is usually analogous to raising the weight to a specific height.

The Third Law Of Thermodynamics

A flawless crystal at zero Kelvin (absolute zero) possesses zero entropy, according to the third law of thermodynamics. To begin with, a perfect crystal contains no impurities, has reached thermodynamic equilibrium, and is in a crystalline form in which all of the atoms/ions/molecules are in well-defined places in a highly-ordered crystalline lattice. This would rule out amorphous materials such as glass, which lack a crystalline structure and have yet to reach thermodynamic equilibrium.

The third thermodynamics law was determined experimentally when the entropy of a system always reached the same minimum value as the absolute temperature decreases and approaches zero. The third law states that a perfect crystal at absolute zero must exist in a single microstate.

Potential Vs. Kinetic Energy

The term potential energy refers to the energy that has not yet been utilised, as the name implies. Kinetic energy is the energy that is being used (or motion). The potential energy in a tank of gasoline is turned into kinetic energy by the engine. You’re out of gas when your potential is depleted! When new or recharged, batteries have a certain amount of potential. The potential in the batteries is turned into kinetic energy to drive the speakers when inserted into a tape recorder and played at a loud volume (the only setting for such things). The batteries are dead when their potential energy is depleted. Rechargeable batteries have their potential re-evaluated or restored.

The sun is the ultimate source of energy in the hydrologic cycle, evaporating water and elevating its potential above water in the ocean. When the rain (or snow) falls, it begins to stream downwards toward sea level. The potential energy of water decreases as it approaches sea level. The water would ultimately reach sea level without the sun, but it would never be evaporated to replenish the cycle.

Chemicals can also be analysed in relation to potential or kinetic energy. Sugar contains a certain amount of energy potential. When an ounce of sugar is metabolized, all of its energy is released at once. The energy that has been released is in the form of kinetic energy (heat). If all of the energy was released at once, the animals would perish. The energy must be released in little amounts by the animals.

Conclusion

You may witness the three laws of Thermodynamics in action all around you in this fascinating world of energy in motion. Whether it’s converting chemical energy from food into usable energy in your body or mechanical energy into kinetic energy in a car or plane, it’s all part of the process. For many people, thermodynamics is a way of life.