Thermodynamic Weirdness: From Fahrenheit to Clausius

by Don S. Lemons

Thermodynamics has never been easier to understand than in this non-mathematical account revealing the simplicity, principles, and key players of this fascinating branch of physics.   Students of physics, chemistry, and engineering are taught classical thermodynamics through its methods—a “problems first” approach that neglects the subject’s concepts and intellectual structure. In Thermodynamic Weirdness, Don Lemons fills this gap, offering a nonmathematical account of the ideas of classical thermodynamics in all its non-Newtonian “weirdness.” By emphasizing the ideas and their relationship to one another, Lemons reveals the simplicity and coherence of classical thermodynamics.   Lemons presents concepts in an order that is both chronological and logical, mapping the rise and fall of ideas. You’ll learn   • The invention of temperature • Heat as a form of motion or material fluid • Carnot’s analysis of heat engines • William Thomson (or Lord Kelvin) and his two definitions of absolute temperature • Energy as the mechanical equivalent of heat • Early versions of the first and second laws of thermodynamics • Entropy and the law of entropy non-decrease • The differing views of Lord Kelvin and Rudolf Clausius on the fate of the universe • The zeroth and third laws of thermodynamics • Einstein’s assessment of classical thermodynamics   Featuring primary sources by Daniel Fahrenheit, Antoine Lavoisier, James Joule, and many others, Thermodynamic Weirdness is an accessible, non-technical deep-dive into this strange branch of physics.

Genres: Physics, Science, Nonfiction

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2019

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hardly a book that will hit the popular best seller lists and I don't expect the movie version out any time soon. It is a detailed discussion of a topic that is difficult for most college students in technical majors. It is perhaps one of the more intimidating classes engineers will take.

I have experience with the subject matter as an engineer (I got a C in Thermodynamics when I took it as an undergraduate) and have used it for over 40 years. Currently, though, I teach thermodynamics, among other engineering classes, at the university level. As such, I probably found this a little more interesting than the average reader.

The benefit of the book is to give a very good history of how some basic understanding of Thermodynamics came about. It is a relatively young science that relates heat to work. Discovering those relationships is not intuitive and even determining the units to use or methods to measure it is not at all obvious. The confusion is compounded because our everyday notions of "heat", "work" and "energy" do not necessarily correspond to the thermodynamic definitions.

The book uses extensive quotations and passages from those scientist and engineers that originally formulated the fundamental laws of thermodynamics to illustrate the struggles and disagreements. Having those passages in one place was useful to give me more of the historical perspective than I had. It is unlikely, even as someone really interested in the topic, that I would wade through all of the foundational books and articles referenced here.

I am not sure who I would recommend this book to. It is probably a little too deep for someone who wants an introduction to thermodynamics. If you have taken thermodynamics as a class at the university level and are into the history of science you may find it interesting.

[Alexey · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a good history book and a mediocre physics book. not a good guide to understanding thermodynamics. a fascinating look at the history of the development of thermodynamics! but also not really what the book advertised. by ignoring all modern developments and not really remarking on which parts of these arguments were wrong or worded completely differently in the 1850s (he did occasionally, but not enough), i didnt learn much physics i could apply. also, most of the physics introduced is pretty standard in introductory courses these days, so what was interesting physics-wise wasnt really supplementary as much as a slightly more confusing than a textbook.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thermodynamic Weirdness: From Fahrenheit to Clausius by Don S. Lemons presents the early thinking and experiments of the discoverers of the laws of thermodynamics. Lemons begins his narrative with the concept of temperature and heat, then follows up with the concept of energy, the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and entropy. He keeps theoretical formulas to a minimum, so the book is fairly understandable for anyone with an interest in the subject.

Much of the material covered in this book comes from the writings of the early founders of thermodynamics such as Sadi Carnot, Rudolf Clausius, William Thomson, James Watt,and others. This is not a biographical approach to these founders, but is limited primarily to their scientific theories and writings concerning thermodynamics. In fact, Lemons includes quite a few lengthy excerpts from papers written by these early discoverers of thermodynamic principles. Thermodynamic Weirdness: From Fahrenheit to Clausius gives the reader insight into how the early developments of thermodynamics came about, including some of the ideas that have since been discarded, like the idea that heat is a material fluid that flows between objects of different temperatures.

I never quite got the weirdness angle mentioned in the book title, since most of the ideas of thermodynamics seem fairly logical. That being said, Thermodynamic Weirdness: From Fahrenheit to Clausius is notable in that it gives the backdrop to thermodynamic principles that are often presented in courses without explanation of their origin, and puts a human face on them. I would possibly liked to have seen more behind the scenes information in addition to summarizing the ideas of the early founders, but this book is still an interesting read, especially for students of thermodynamics.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, more conceptually focused, look at how thermodynamics developed. Lemons skips most of the mathematics to describe more qualitatively how physicists like Kelvin and Joule investigated the mystery of how heat operates. At the end of each chapter he provides substantial excerpts from the primary texts of the era, showing exactly how these scientists approached the questions they faced. This book provided me with a stronger understanding of how these theories developed and how different scientists, approaching the problem from different perspectives, contributed to our understanding of heat and energy. The one thing I'd like more of is the WHY. This book supplies precious little context for this work. Why were these people asking these questions in the first place? Thankfully, some of the primary sources fill in some of this. For instance, Sadi Carnot's "Reflections on the Motive Power of Heat..." provides a clear description of why Carnot felt this work was so important to the technology of the industrial era and, more disturbingly, European colonial efforts. Carnot explained that the steam engine, "made it possible to traverse savage regions where before we could scarcely penetrate. It has enabled us to carry the fruits of civilization over portions of the globe where they would else have been wanting for years."

[Niche · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thermo historical perspective

An abridged history of thermodynamics complete with excerpts of historical publications. I'd liken it to how one learns of the "plum pudding" and fixed-orbit atomic models, but rarely is the historical aspect applied to higher science learning. Starting with the measuring of temperature and the nature of heat, it then moves on to the development of the thermodynamic laws.

The historical excerpts were of varying readability as the writers were grasping at concepts that were yet to be articulated or finalized. It was interesting as a historical perspective and credits the respect due the authors, but I feel like the presentation would confuse more than inform if one wasn't already familiar with the final concepts.

[Peter Aronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really about anything weird at all, being rather an intellectual history about ideas of heat and thermodynamics, particularly the early developments and with nothing modern. The author claims it isn't a work of science history, but if it isn't, I do wonder what he thinks it is about. It leans rather heavily on long quotes from original sources, but they are not particularly illuminating taken out of context.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Explanation Of Thermodynamics

Lemons' books on thermodynamics really complement each other well. Lemons explains things really well, in my opinion, and gives you the real logical underpinnings of thermodynamics. I especially like that he brings out the oddness of thermodynamics as compared to quantum mechanics when compared to Newtonian mechanics. This will serve well for anyone interested in the history and better understanding classical thermodynamics.

[Ellen Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not shabby at all. A relatively easy physics book to understand and grasp that talks a lot about the laws of thermodynamics and steam engines and heat. I really liked how the Author added in essays from scientists from back in the day, and how the book kept repeating the fundamental elements of thermodynamics which helped me in getting a better grasp on it all.

[Liza ❤️❤️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I put this book through plagiarism checker it would get 100%. I'm sorry but there is a difference between explaining a topic to somebody through the form of a book and just shamelessly putting entire papers into a book with little to no comments from the author.

Also, these papers are like just men yapping. I can only understand one mansplaining man at a time!

[Gino Kutcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really sure how to rate this book- I found parts interesting, but even after finishing, I am not certain what the goal of the book was.

[Marcus Lundgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of classical thermodynamics. Quite fun reading excerpts of the original works.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical intro to basic thermodynamics concepts

A bit over a non-physicist’s head (me), but still a useful “first” pass. One two three four five six seven.

[Alden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came for the biographies. Did not disappoint. Stayed for the science and math. Meh. That part was probably a lot easier to get in the actual lectures this book was, presumably, based on.

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unreadable. There is no insight, humor, or reader engagement. I try to respect the effort of all writers but this book reads like a poorly developed textbook.