What is Thermodynamics?

Thermodynamics can be defined as the science of energy. Although every body has a feeling of what energy is, it is difficult to give a precise definition for it. Energy can be viewed as the ability to cause changes.

The name thermodynamics stems from the Greek words therme (heat) and dynamics (power), which is most descriptive of the early efforts to convert heat into power. Today the same name is broadly interpreted to include all aspects of energy and energy transformations, including power generation, refrigeration, and relationships among the properties of matter.

Thermodynamics, Cengel

One of the most fundamental laws of nature is the conservation of energy principle. It simply states that during an interaction, energy can change from one form to another but the total amount of energy remains constant. Energy can not be created or destroyed. A rock falling off a cliff, for example, picks up speed as result of its potential energy being converted to kinetic energy.

Although the principles of thermodynamics have been in existence since the creation of the universe, thermodynamics did not emerge as a science until the construction of the first successful atmospheric steam engines in England by Thomas Savery in 1607 and Thomas Newcomen in 1712. These engines were very slow and inefficient, but they opened the way for the development of a new science: Thermodynamics.