Thermodynamics

 The word thermodynamics is of Greek origin. It is composed of two parts: "thermo," meaning heat, and "dynamic," meaning work or movement. The compound word refers to movement produced from heat. Thermodynamics emerged as a science in the 18th century with the discovery of the steam engine. Its goal is to study the different forms of energy and the possibilities for converting them. Thermodynamics has several branches:

Classical thermodynamics: studies systems at the macroscopic scale using measurable quantities such as pressure (P), temperature (T), and volume (V).
Chemical thermodynamics: studies the heats of reactions and the thermodynamic properties of chemical equilibria.

Statistical thermodynamics: considers systems from a microscopic perspective and relies on statistical mechanics.

Technical thermodynamics: for heat engines, refrigeration units, heat pumps, etc. State of the art in thermodynamics:

 1747: Physiologist A. Haller attributed the constancy of human body temperature to friction accompanying blood circulation.

 1765: J. Watt created the first steam engine with virtually no theoretical basis.

 1824: S. Carnot stated the second law of thermodynamics, which was later expanded upon (in 1848) by W. Thomson and R. Clausius (in 1850).

 1842: R. Mayer stated the first law of thermodynamics, which was confirmed by J. Joule in 1845.