The Governing Laws

Within the study of thermodynamics, there are three asserted laws that all processes must abide by, labeled as the Zeroth, First, and Second laws respectively, (a Third law exists but is not needed in explanation of the process at hand). As such, these laws define how energy is transformed and moved about a system both at the macro and micro levels: macroscopic incorporating the physical changes between the matter states of solid, liquid, and gas as associated with the microscopic movement and adjustment of atoms and molecules that create materials and provide defining characteristics.

Domingo, James C. "Laws of Thermodynamics." Digital Image. Advchem-niva. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015

McGovern, Judith. "Adiabatic Demagnetization and the Third Law of Thermodynamics." Digital Image. Theory.physics.manchester. N.p., 17 Mar. 2004. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.

• Zeroth Law - "If there is no heat flow between two bodies, then they are in thermal equilibrium. At that point, the two bodies are the same temperature."
• First Law - "The change in thermal energy of a system is equivalent to the work and heat that flow in and out of that system. By this notion, energy is conserved."
• Second Law - "Heat is not spontaneously transferred from a colder object to a hotter object. That is heat and temperature seek to obtain equilibrium conditions by transference from 'hotter' areas to 'cooler' ones."