The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction - Softcover

Atkins, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0199572194 ISBN 13: 9780199572199

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2010

Synopsis

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal--everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. Written by Peter Atkins, one of the world's leading authorities on thermodynamics, this powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics. Guiding the reader a step at a time, Atkins begins with Zeroth (so named because the first two laws were well established before scientists realized that a third law, relating to temperature, should precede them--hence the jocular name zeroth), and proceeds through the First, Second, and Third Laws, offering a clear account of concepts such as the availability of work and the conservation of energy. Atkins ranges from the fascinating theory of entropy (revealing how its unstoppable rise constitutes the engine of the universe), through the concept of free energy, and to the brink, and then beyond the brink, of absolute zero.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Atkins is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Lincoln College. He is the author of nearly 60 books, which include Galileo's Finger: The Ten Great Ideas of Science and the famed textbook Physical Chemistry (now in its eighth edition).

Review

Review from previous edition: "It takes not only a great writer but a great scientist with a lifetime's experience to explains such a notoriously tricky area with absolute economy and precision, not to mention humour."

--Books of the Year, Observer. 30.11.08

"His engaging account...the lucid figures offer readers a firm understanding of energy and entropy."

--Science 4/04/08

"Concise, well-written, engaging and carefully structured... an enjoyable and informative read."

--Chemistry World 01/12/2007

"Peter Atkins's account of the core concepts of thermodynamics is beautifully crafted."

--Simon Mitton, THES 16/11/2007

"A brief and invigoratingly limpid guide to the laws of thermodynamics."

--Saturday Guardian 15/09/2007

"Atkins's systematic foundations should go a long way towards easing confusion about the subject...an engaging book, just the right length (and depth) for an absorbing, informative read."

--Mark Haw, Nature 20/09/2007

"[Atkins'] ultra-compact guide to thermodynamics [is] a wonderful book that I wish I had read at university."

--New Scientist 20/10/2007

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0199572194
• ISBN 13: 9780199572199
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 103