In the late eighteenth century, inventors began creating devices that would eventually evolve into the steam engine. In efforts to improve these devices, scientists studied the principles of work and energy. Through his studies, a scientist named Robert Boyle discovered that the pressure of a gas increases when the volume of its container decreases. Other scientists discovered new principles that characterized energy as it entered a machine or system, passed through it, and finally exited. The form of the energ coming out of a machine or system could take the form of work, motion, or heat loss became known as the science of thermodynamics. Thermodynamics proved to be a rich of study, eventually producing four fundamental laws. The laws are not, however. called the First through Fourth laws. Rather, they are the Zeroth through Third Laws of Thermodynamics.
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics states that if two systems. A and B, are in equilibrium with a third system C, then they are also in equilibrium with each other Equilibrium here means that the systems are in contact and their temperatures and pressures are the same. For example, say a room is 20 degrees Celsius and another ro of the same size is 10 degrees. These rooms are not in equilibrium. If a door between t is open and you wait a bit, then both rooms' temperatures degrees. Then the rooms are in equilibrium. if another room was already at 15 degrees ad is exposed to the two rooms at equilibrium, this third room will now be in equilibrium with both rooms, too. Therefore, given time, systems will be in equilibrium with all systems with which they are in contact
The First Law is the law of conservation of energy. This law says that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only shift around and change forms. For example, all the energy contained in fuel for an engine will become motion of the engine or will be given as heat when the fuel is burned. Energy cannot simply disappear in nothing or come from nothing.
The Second Law states that entropy of a system will increase time. Entropy is a word that means the tendency for order of a system to decrease. In other words, entropy causes all systems to move from order toward chaos. A classic example is an ice cube melting in a When it is frozen, the ice is highly ordered and has low entropy. As melts, the molecules move more freely and become less ordered entropy of the system that includes the ice and the room increase the ice melts
The Third Law says that entropy will approach zero as the temperature approaches absolute zero(zero on the Kelvin scale) Entropy never truly equals zero because it is not actually possible to achieve a temperature of absolute zero. However, at temperatures that are near absolute zero, all motion practically stops. As an example it is more difficult to move in colder temperatures because the processes that exchange heat and energy and create work function more slowly lower temperatures
These laws have found broad applications, from physics and engineering, to chemistry, biology, and even information technology Engineers use them to make machines more efficient. Biologists use them to describe evolution and natural systems. Meteorologists use them to predict weather patterns. They are also the proof that perpetual motion machines-machines that keep running forever-are impossible.
There is a funny saying that relates to the laws of thermodynamics. It goes like this: "People must play. People can't win. People can't break even. People can't quit." People must play(Zeroth Law) because they must try to reach equilibrium with other systems. They cannot win(First Law) because energy cannot be created from nothing. They cannot break even(Second Law) because entropy increases. And finally, they cannot quit hird Law) because they cannot reach absolute zero.