Natalie Mascarenhas January 28 2021

Chapter 15, Section 3

Zeroth and Third Laws of Thermodynamics

The zeroth law is foundational to both the first and second, but since the
conservation of matter and energy was already commonly known as the
first law of thermodynamics, it was called the zeroth law instead.
● The third law is an application on the second law.

The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics - ​describes and compares the heat

flow among three objects/ if A and B are in thermal equilibrium and B and C
are in thermal equilibrium, then A and C are in thermal equilibrium.
● If A and B have the same thermal energy, no heat is transferred
between them; instead, A and B are in t​ hermal equilibrium​. If B and C
have the same thermal energy, they are also in thermal equilibrium,
and no heat transfer occurs.

The Third Law of Thermodynamics

Entropy describes a system’s randomness and loss of usable energy.
The third law describes an ordered system that does not lose energy.

The Third Law of Thermodynamics - ​entropy approaches zero when

temperature approaches absolute zero/ a pure crystal’s entropy will
approach zero as the crystal’s temperature approaches absolute zero (0K
or -273.15℃)