Laws of Thermodynamics Explained

The first law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of conservation of energy,

states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to

another, or transferred from one system to its surroundings. For any given process,

the total amount of energy in the universe or any other isolated system remains constant.

The change in a system's internal energy (\(\Delta U\)) is equal to the net heat transfer

(\(Q\)) into the system minus the work (\(W\)) done by the system on its surroundings

The second law of thermodynamics, as described in Hewitt Suchocki Hewitt Physical

Science, can be summarized in several equivalent ways, all relating to