Philosophy of thermal and statistical physics

Thermodynamics

The classical Carnot heat engine

Branches

* Classical
* Statistical
* Chemical
* Quantum thermodynamics

* Equilibrium / Non-equilibrium

Laws

* Zeroth
* First
* Second
* Third

Systems

|  State

* Equation of state
* Ideal gas
* Real gas
* State of matter
* Equilibrium
* Control volume
* Instruments

Processes

* Isobaric
* Isochoric
* Isothermal
* Adiabatic
* Isentropic
* Isenthalpic
* Quasistatic
* Polytropic
* Free expansion
* Reversibility
* Irreversibility
* Endoreversibility

Cycles

* Heat engines
* Heat pumps
* Thermal efficiency

System properties

Note: Conjugate variables in italics

* Property diagrams
* Intensive and extensive properties

Process functions

* Work
* Heat

Functions of state

* Temperature / Entropy (introduction)
* Pressure / Volume
* Chemical potential / Particle number
* Vapor quality
* Reduced properties

Material properties

* Property databases

| Specific heat capacity | c= | | T| ∂S

|

N| ∂T
Compressibility | β=− | | 1| ∂V

|

V| ∂p
Thermal expansion | α= | | 1| ∂V

|

V| ∂T

Equations

* Carnot's theorem
* Clausius theorem
* Fundamental relation
* Ideal gas law

* Maxwell relations
* Onsager reciprocal relations
* Bridgman's equations
* Table of thermodynamic equations

Potentials

* Free energy
* Free entropy

* Internal energy
U(S,V)
* Enthalpy
H(S,p)=U+pV
* Helmholtz free energy
A(T,V)=U−TS
* Gibbs free energy
G(T,p)=H−TS

* History
* Culture

|  History

* General
* Entropy
* Gas laws

* "Perpetual motion" machines

Philosophy

* Entropy and time
* Entropy and life
* Brownian ratchet
* Maxwell's demon
* Heat death paradox
* Loschmidt's paradox
* Synergetics

Theories

* Caloric theory
* Theory of heat

* Vis viva ("living force")
* Mechanical equivalent of heat
* Motive power

Key publications

* "An Experimental Enquiry
Concerning ... Heat"

* "On the Equilibrium of
Heterogeneous Substances"

* "Reflections on the
Motive Power of Fire"

Timelines

* Thermodynamics
* Heat engines

* Art
* Education

* Maxwell's thermodynamic surface
* Entropy as energy dispersal

Scientists

* Bernoulli
* Boltzmann
* Carnot
* Clapeyron
* Clausius
* Carathéodory
* Duhem
* Gibbs
* von Helmholtz
* Joule
* Maxwell
* von Mayer
* Onsager
* Rankine
* Smeaton
* Stahl
* Thompson
* Thomson
* van der Waals
* Waterston

* Book
* Category

* v
* t
* e

The philosophy of thermal and statistical physics is that part of the philosophy of physics whose subject matter is an amalgam of classical thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and related theories. Its central questions include: What is entropy, and what does the second law of thermodynamics say about it? Does either thermodynamics or statistical mechanics contain an element of time-irreversibility? If so, what does statistical mechanics tell us about the arrow of time? What is the nature of the probabilities that appear in statistical mechanics?

## See also

* Laws of thermodynamics
* Maxwell's demon
* H-theorem
* Maximum entropy thermodynamics
* Entropy in thermodynamics and information theory

## References

* Uffink, J., 2001, "Bluff your way in the second law of thermodynamics," Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 32(3): 305–94.
* \

--, 2007, "Compendium of the Foundations of Classical Statistical Physics" in Butterfield, J., and John Earman, eds., Philosophy of Physics, Part B. North Holland: 923–1074.
* Valev, P., 2002, "The Law of Self-Acting Machines and Irreversible Processes with reversible Replicas," in Sheehan, D., (ed.) Proceedings of the First International conference on Quantum Limits to the Second Law, American Institute of Physics: 430–35.
* Martinas et al., Thermodynamics: History And Philosophy - Facts, Trends, Debates
* Hoyer, Thermodynamics and Philosophy: Ludwig Boltzmann
* Sklar, Physics and Chance: Philosophical Issues in the Foundations of Statistical Mechanics
* Ernst & Hüttemann, Time, Chance, and Reduction: Philosophical Aspects of Statistical Mechanics

## External links

* Sklar, Lawrence (2015). "Philosophy of Statistical Mechanics". https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/statphys-statmech/.
* Uffink, Jos (2014). "Boltzmann's Work in Statistical Physics". https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/statphys-Boltzmann/.

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Philosophy

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[[Philosophy:Ancient Greek philosopGreco-Hellenistic philosophy|Roman]] |

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|

East Asian|

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Philosophy of science

| Concepts|

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|

Metatheory
of science|

* Coherentism
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Related topics|

* Alchemy
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Philosophers of science by era

| Ancient|

* Plato
* Aristotle
* Stoicism
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|

Medieval|

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* Avicenna
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* Robert Kilwardby

Early modern|

* Francis Bacon
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Late modern|

* Immanuel Kant
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* Henri Poincaré
* Pierre Duhem
* Rudolf Steiner
* Karl Pearson

Contemporary|

* Alfred North Whitehead
* Bertrand Russell
* Albert Einstein
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* C. D. Broad
* Michael Polanyi
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