The Physics of Cheesecake

Now to idealize the entire process of Thermodynamics with a delicious example. Begin by acquiring:

The butter/margarine is easily melted in a microwave or oven, both of which apply methods of heat transfer to change the phase of the butter through radiation and convection respectively. Place the graham crackers in a durable bowl and apply work to the system, crushing the graham crackers into a fine powder which effectively raises the thermal energy. Mix the crushed graham cracker, melted butter, and sugar in a spring-form pan, pressing the crust against the sides until it is spread uniformly about the pan, the combination of the heated butter and continual application of work again raising the thermal energy of the system. Place the crust-filled pan in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for six minutes, as the oven heats and bakes the crust through both convection and conduction as the physical properties of the mixed crust combine the thermal conductivities and specific heats of the ingredient materials to new values. Remove the pan from the oven and let the crust stand for five minutes, thermal energy decreasing in the system as heat is removed by both conduction and convection into the surrounding atmosphere.

After the crust is complete, you will need:
Blend together all of the ingredients, the mechanical rotation and application of work raising the thermal energy of the system and causing it to change phase to a liquid cake batter. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and return it to the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty-eight minutes. At this point, the ingredients have undergone numerous phase changes, periods of cooling, heating, and applications of work to increase the overall thermal energy of the system from when it initially began. After the twenty-eight minutes have passed, remove the cake from the oven and let it stand for five minutes, again allowing the thermal energy of the system to decrease as heat is released to the surrounding atmosphere by conduction and convection.

Gather:
Mix the above ingredients together in a bowl, again applying work to the system and instigating a phase change into a dense liquid topping and thereby raising the thermal energy of the system. Pour the topping over the cake, spreading it evenly. Return the cake to the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes then remove it and let cool for a half-hour, allowing the thermal energy of the system to decrease as heat is released into the surrounding atmosphere bringing the cake back to room temperature as work is done by the system. Place the Cheesecake into the refrigerator and let it cool for at least three hours before serving. The cake goes great with a fruit topping like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or peaches as a mixture with a cream, sugar concoction.

Although this may seem a grossly simplified process, the overall transformation of various minor ingredients into a whole singular piece is a large thermodynamic process in which the internal energy of the systems and bodies involved is increased and decreased at various points through application of work, addition of heat, work performed by the system to achieve equilibrium as denoted by heat loss when cooling by conduction and convection, while the entire system rises in entropy as the process required to make the cake is irreversible. Multiple phase changes occurred as the ingredients were mixed, all of which are functions of the specific heat of the various materials utilized. In all, the process only takes about forty minutes to an hour's worth of time, whereby the total amount of work can be summed and related to the time to determine the total power expended to create the cake itself.

The finished product: a cheesecake in all it's shining glory.
Hiles, Bryce. Cheesecake made using above Recipe. Tasted Delicious. 18 Apr. 2015

Introduction
 Key Distinctions
  The Governing Laws
 Thermal Processes
 Methods of Heat Transfer and Material Properties
 The Physics of Cheesecake
  Bibliography