1 - Introducing thermodynamics

Summary

The atomistic nature of matter as conceptualized by the Greeks had, by the 19th century, been raised by scientists to a high probability. But it was Planck's law of radiation that yielded the first exact determination of the absolute size of atoms. More than that, he convincingly showed that in addition to the atomistic structure of matter there is a kind of atomistic structure to energy, governed by the universal constant h.

This discovery has almost completely dominated the development of physics in the 20th century. Without this discovery a workable theory of molecules and atoms and the energy processes that govern their transformations would not have been possible. It has, moreover, shaken the whole framework of classical mechanics and electrodynamics and set science the fresh task of finding a new conceptual basis for all of physics. Despite partial success, the problem is still far from solved.

Albert Einstein, “Max Planck memorial service” (1948). Original image, Einstein Archives Online, Jerusalem (trans. A. Wasserman)

The beginning

Thermodynamics has exceeded the scope and applicability of its utile origins in the industrial revolution to a far greater extent than other subjects of physics' classical era, such as mechanics and electromagnetism. Unquestionably this results from over a century of synergistic development with quantum mechanics, to which it has given and from which it has gained clarification, enhancement and relevance, earning for it a vital role in the modern development of physics as well as chemistry, biology, engineering, and even aspects of philosophy.