Thermodynamics
Use this page to review the core ideas, then practise with your lecture questions, tutorials and past papers.
Core ideas
- Temperature describes thermal state while heat is energy transferred because of a temperature difference.
- The first law relates heat, work and internal-energy change.
- The second law introduces entropy and direction of spontaneous processes.
- State functions depend on state rather than path.
- Thermodynamic cycles can be analysed from energy transfers.
Practice checklist
- Define the system and surroundings.
- Use a consistent sign convention for work and heat.
- Distinguish reversible and irreversible processes.
- Check whether the final state is physically reasonable.