Laws of Thermodynamics

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

• The "zeroth law" states that if two systems
are at the same time in thermal equilibrium
with a third system, they are in thermal
equilibrium with each other.
• If A and C are in thermal equilibrium with
B, then A is in thermal equilibrium with B.
Practically this means that all three are at
the same temperature, and it forms the
basis for comparison of temperatures.
First Law of Thermodynamics
• Law of Conservation of Energy

– energy can be transferred from one system to

another in many forms. Also, it can not be
created or destroyed.
– The total amount of energy and matter in the
Universe remains constant, merely changing
from one form to another.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
• Heat cannot be transfer from a colder to a hotter
body.
• Natural processes that involve energy transfer
must have one direction, and all natural
processes are irreversible.
• The entropy of an isolated system always
increases with time.
Entropy is the measure of the disorder or
randomness of energy and matter in a system.
The measure of
entropy must be
global.

For example, you can

pump heat out of a
refrigerator (to make
ice cubes), but the
heat is placed in the
house and the
entropy of the house
increases, even
though the local
entropy of the ice
cube tray decreases.
http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/ast222/lectures/lec02.html
 Third Law of Thermodynamics
• if all the thermal motion of molecules (kinetic
energy) could be removed, a state called
absolute zero would occur.
• Absolute zero results in a temperature of
0 Kelvin or -273.15° Celsius.
• The Universe will attain absolute zero when all
energy and matter is randomly distributed across
space. The current temperature of empty space
in the Universe is about 2.7 Kelvin.
• The third law states that, as this minimum
temperature is approached, the further extraction
of energy becomes more and more difficult.