Thermodynamics is the study of the relationships between heat, work, and energy.

Work and Energy

Work is the exertion of force over a given distance to displace or move an object. Energy is the ability to accomplish work
MECHANICAL ENERGY.
Kinetic energy relates to heat more clearly than does potential energy, discussed below; however, it is hard to discuss the one without the other. To use a simple exampleone involving mechanical energy in a gravitational field when a stone is held over the edge of a cliff, it has potential energy. Its potential energy is equal to its weight (mass times the acceleration due to gravity) multiplied by its height above the bottom of the canyon below. Once it is dropped, it acquires kinetic energy, which is the same as one-half its mass multiplied by the square of its velocity.

TEMPERATURE.
In everyday life, people think they know what temperature is: a measure of heat? Wrong again of heat and cold. This is wrong for two reasons: first, as discussed below, there is no such thing as "cold" only an absence of heat. So, then, is temperature a measure

MEASURING TEMPERATURE AND HEAT.

Temperature, of course, can be measured either by the Fahrenheit or Centigrade scales familiar in everyday life

MEASURING HEAT AND HEAT CAPACITY.

. The principal unit of energy in the SI or metric system is the joule (J), equal to 1 newton-meter (N m), and the primary unit in the British or English system is the foot-pound (ft lb). One foot-pound is equal to 1.356 J, and 1 joule is equal to 0.7376 ft lb.

BODY
There are only two possible explanations for how the origin of the universe and life came into existence, creation, or evolution. - Since these two models are opposites, evidence supporting one model can be regarded as evidence against the other model. - Lets look at the four laws mentioned earlier and see what model they support.

First Law of Thermodynamics: Matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

Second Law of Thermodynamics: Energy goes from a state of useable energy to a state of less useable energy for doing work in an isolated system.

Open systems: An open system can exchange both matter and energy with its surroundings. Matter and energy can be added to or taken out of the system. - The earth and our bodies are examples of open systems. Energy is constantly being added to the earth and our bodies from the sun. Each time we eat or drink we are adding energy to our bodies. 2. Isolated systems: An isolated system cannot exchange matter or energy with its surroundings. Absolutely no matter or energy can be added to, or taken out of an isolated system. - The only truly isolated system is the universe. Nothing comes into the universe from outside and nothing goes out of the universe, it is totally isolated.
1.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics absolutely does NOT say everything tends toward disorder (or decay)! It is not a universal law of messiness. It is only about energy changes. Isn't that nice? We can all relax. My messy desk and your wrinkled shirt are not predicted or measured by entropy formulas and the 2nd Law of thermodynamics.

The pressure in the volume on the left is higher than the pressure on the right. The pressure energy in the left side can be thought of as more "concentrated" than the pressure energy on the right side. Both sides take up the exact same amount of space (or volume), but there is more pressure energy in the left side. More pressure energy in the same space means it is more concentrated.

: The valve has just been opened. Immediately, air on the higher pressure left side starts to flow to the right side, because the pressure is lower there. Just like air escaping from a baloon. Energy is flowing from more concentrated to less concentrated.

The air kept flowing through the opening until the pressure on both sides was equal. See the pressure guages? They show the same pressure on both sides. The pressures are now equal - no difference in concentration levels. There is no more air flow through the opening. We have reached equilibrium. The total energy hasn't changed (First Law), but it is more "spread out" or less concentrated now (2nd Law).

Two tanks of water. The water on the left side is hotter than the water in the tank on the right side. There is only a thin piece of sheet metal, or maybe some glass,
separating the water, so heat (thermal energy) can easily flow from one side to the other. Thermal Energy is more concentrated in the hotter water. A cubic inch of water on the left side, has more thermal energy in it than a cubic inch of water on the right side.

The thermal energy continued to flow from the left side into the right side. The temperature on the right steadily increased, while the temperature on the left side got steadily cooler. Eventually the temperatures on both sides became the same, as shown by the cartoon thermometers above. Equilibrium has been reached. The concentration of thermal energy is the same on both sides, so there is no more energy flow.

. There are two important natural "laws of energy" that describe what happens to the energy involved in every change. We call them "laws" because countless observations and thousands of experiments

the First Law The First Law of Thermodynamics tells us energy is conserved.

The Rest of the Story... Alas, my friends, there is always a rub, and when it comes to energy, the rub is described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

The Direction Energy Always Goes The second law tells us which way energy naturally flows when not blocked or "pushed" by other mechanisms. It says energy has an absolute unfailing tendency to go from "more concentrated" to "less concentrated". It sort of "spreads out" and gets "diluted".

In each of those cases, we can think of the energy in the higher level as being more concentrated. Energy inevitably moves to a less and less concentrated condition. Less concentrated = less useful.

equilibrium. So that's one part of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Energy will flow to a more "spread out" or "less concentrated" condition. It stops flowing when there is no longer a difference in concentration levels when things have reached the great state of equilibrium.

Potential Energy That's a good way to think about potential energy, concentrated energy waiting for its chance to flow to a less concentrated level. Things happen when energy is allowed to move from high potential to low potential. Things stop happening, or don't start, when there is equilibrium.

If we keep the light switch open, the electric current can't flow from higher voltage potential to lower potential. But the tendency is always there as long as the potential difference is there. Close the switch and electricity flows from high voltage to low voltage, making the light bulb glow. The potential energy is converted to thermal energy and light.
Hold a rock over your head. The gravitational potential energy is there. Let go of the rock and it gets pulled down to the ground (or your head if you're not careful). The rock's potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as it rushes to get to the lower energy level of the ground. When it hits the ground the kinetic energy is converted to sound waves and low-grade thermal energy, heating up the rock and the ground.

We Can Catch Some Energy as it Flows from High to Low Concentration Nature and human engineers have learned to control and use energy flows. We can catch some of it as it flows by, maybe with a turbine, or piston and crankshaft, maybe even a sail or wind turbine blades. We can transform some of it (but not all) into useful work. We Can Push Energy the Other Way Despite Energy's unfailing tendency when left to its own inclinations to flow from more concentrated to less, we can also "push" or force some of it the other way, from less concentrated to more, such as when we lift a weight, compress a gas, pump water uphill, or, through photosynthesis, assemble molecules into energy storing glucose.

Catching Some of the Energy: The picture above shows how we might be able to convert some of the concentrated pressure energy into mechanical energy. The air has to push against the turbine blades as it flows from higher pressure to lower pressure (expansion).

If the turbine shaft were attached to a little generator, we could make some electricity. We could then use the electricity to power an electric motor that would drive an air pump to pump air back into the other side and start the cycle over again.

THE THIRD LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

1 In sharp contrast to the first two laws, the third law of thermodynamics can be characterized by diverse expression 2 , disputed descent, and questioned authority. 3 Since first advanced by Nernst 4 in 1906 as the Heat Theorem, its thermodynamic status has been controversial; its usefulness, however, is unquestioned.

On earth our cycle of energy conversion

On earth our cycle of energy conversion is pretty much this:

Earth is not a perpetual motion machine either. Each day concentrated energy from the sun shines down onto the earth. This light energy (electromagnetic radiation) powers almost all life through the mechanism of photosynthesis.

The solar energy also causes wind to blow, rain to fall, and snow to melt. During each of these activities, some of the solar energy is converted to low-grade thermal energy...

Keep our home safe

THERMODYNAMICS. Triple expansion engine