Foundations and applications of thermodynamics, built from first principles
This introduction explains how thermodynamic potentials govern energy changes, and how these ideas apply to solids, radiation, and moving systems.
This edition integrates core theory with practical models, including elastic solids, heat and work relationships, and the behavior of radiation. It frames how concepts like free energy, total and inner potentials, and Gibbs surfaces help predict system behavior in real materials and processes.
- How energy, entropy, and temperature interrelate through key potentials and equations
- Connections between elasticity, stress, strain, and their thermodynamic descriptions
- Applications to radiation, black bodies, and radiation pressure
- Geometric and surface interpretations of thermodynamics, including Gibbs surfaces
Ideal for students and professionals who want a clear, principle-based map of thermodynamics and its practical applications to materials and energy systems.