• Time for a History Lesson

• Joule’s Experiment
• The first experiment to test the equivalence of motion and heat
energy was conducted in the 19th century by James Joule. In this
classical experiment, the potential energy of two falling masses
was converted to heat energy.
• The experimental setup consisted of two masses attached to a
paddle wheel through a rope. The paddle wheel led to a
container of water. When the two masses were moved, there was
a loss in potential energy and the paddle wheel rotated with the
movement of masses. The turning of the paddle wheel increased
the friction between the wheel and the water.
• The rise in temperature of the water was observed as the rise in
internal energy of water, which was due to the movement of the
masses. It was summarized as the conversion of potential energy
to heat energy. The work done by masses produced a rise in the
temperature of the water. Through this experiment, Joule proved
the effect of mechanical work in producing heat energy.
• The Mechanical Equivalent of Heat
• The conversion of mechanical energy to heat energy and vice versa brings the concept of the
mechanical equivalent of heat–the internal energy associated with a system can be altered
either by doing work to the system or by adding heat to the system.
• This is the fundamental concept of thermodynamic systems.
• Applications such as power plants, refrigerators, and engines utilize the possibility of heat-to-
work conversion and vice versa to achieve their intended outcomes.
• From Joule’s experiment, it was discovered that 4.186 Joules of energy is required to raise the
temperature of a 1g object by 1°C.
• This correlation between heat energy and work establishes the fundamental concept of Joule’s
mechanical equivalent of heat, which basically describes the amount of work that is required to
produce 1 calorie of heat.
• Joule’s mechanical equivalent of heat can be mathematically represented as follows:
• The First Law of Thermodynamics:
• The first law of thermodynamics is essentially a statement regarding
the principle of the conservation of energy when applied to a closed
system in which only energy in the form of heat or work can cross the
boundary of system