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thermodynamics

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
ther·mo·dy·nam·ics  (thûrm-d-nmks)
n.
1. (used with a sing. verb) Physics that deals with the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy.
2. (used with a pl. verb) Thermodynamic phenomena and processes.

thermodynamics
Noun
the branch of physical science concerned with the relationship between heat and other forms of energy

thermodynamics  (thûrm-d-nmks)
The branch of physics that deals with the relationships between heat and other forms of energy. Four basic laws have been established. The first law states that the amount of energy added to a system is equal to the sum of its increase in heat energy and the work done on the system. The first law is an example of the principle of conservation of energy. The second law states that heat energy cannot be transferred from a body at a lower temperature to a body with a higher one without the addition of energy. Thus, warm air outside can transfer its energy to a cold room, but transferring energy out of a cold room to the air outside requires extra energy (as with an air conditioner). The third law states that the entropy of a pure crystal at absolute zero is zero. Since there can be no physical system with lower entropy, all entropy is thus defined to have a positive value. The zeroth law states that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with some third body, then they are also in equilibrium with each other. This law has its name because it was implicitly assumed in the development of the other laws, and is in fact more fundamental than the others, but was only later established as a law itself.

thermodynamics
the branch of physics that studies the relationship of heat and mechanical energy and the conversion, in various materials, of one into the other. — thermodynamicist, n. — thermodynamic, thermodynamical, adj.
See also: Heat
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.thermodynamics - the branch of physics concerned with the conversion of different forms of energy
enthalpy, heat content, total heat, H - (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity equal to the internal energy of a system plus the product of its volume and pressure; "enthalpy is the amount of energy in a system capable of doing mechanical work"
randomness, entropy, S - (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work; "entropy increases as matter and energy in the universe degrade to an ultimate state of inert uniformity"
natural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics"
thermodynamics of equilibrium, thermostatics - the aspect of thermodynamics concerned with thermal equilibrium
adiabatic process - (thermodynamics) any process that occurs without gain or loss of heat
cyclic - conforming to the Carnot cycle
Translations
Spanish thermodynamics [ˈθəːmədaɪnæmɪks] ntermodinámica
French thermodynamics [ˈθəːmədaɪˈnæmɪks] nthermodynamique f
German thermodynamics [ˈθəːmədaɪˈnæmɪks] nThermodynamik f
Italian thermodynamics [θəːməudaɪˈnæmɪks] ntermodinamica

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