Heat and Thermodynamics: A Historical Perspective

by Christopher J.T. Lewis

Heat and energy form the backbone of modern physics, but the ideas are not intuitive for most students beginning their study of physics. Instructors spend much valuable time in the classroom and lab explaining such concepts as entropy, thermodynamics, and the conservation of energy. But, as educators know, such ideas can become clearer if students learn how the scientists who developed these concepts came to their discoveries through experimentation and observation. This volume in the Greenwood Guide to Great Ideas in Science series provides a historical perspective to heat and thermodynamics, providing readers with an accessible introduction to the people whose work led to our profound understanding of the nature of the universe.

Originally stimulated by the invention of the steam engine during the Industrial Revolution, thermodynamics developed into a universally applicable and powerful scientific theory.

Heat and Thermodynamics includes illustrations, a bibliography, timeline, and glossary for students who wish to research the subject in more detail.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2007

About the author

Christopher is an unreliable narrator living somewhere in the East of England. Any resemblance to an actual person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Oh, alright. Christopher is a (very) ancient historian and writer living in Cambridge, England.

Galileo's Revenge, or A Cure for the Itch, to give its full title, is my first work of fiction and was published on 19th November.

Christopher’s previous works include Heat and Thermodynamics. A historical perspective (2007) which apparently won an award from the prestigious US journal Choice as one of the ‘Best Academic Books of the Year 2008’ – or something like that.

Reviews

[Tue Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine book on the history of physics in general and thermodynamics in particular. Concepts, their pioneers, and their historical contexts are explained in detail.