Theory of Heat

Description

Though James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) is best remembered for his epochal achievements in electricity and magnetism, he was wide-ranging in his scientific investigations, and he came to brilliant conclusions in virtually all of them. As James R. Newman put it, Maxwell "combined a profound physical intuition, an exquisite feeling for the relationship of objects, with a formidable mathematical capacity to establish orderly connections among diverse phenomena. This blending of the concrete and the abstract was the chief characteristic of almost all his researches." Maxwell's work on heat and statistical physics has long been recognized as vitally important, but "Theory of Heat", unjustly neglected classic, Maxwell sets forth the fundamentals of thermodynamics clearly and simply enough to be understood by a beginning student, yet with enough subtlety and depth of thought to appeal also to more advanced readers. He goes on to elucidate the fundamental ideas of kinetic theory, and — through the mental experiment of "Maxwell's demon" — points out how the Second Law of Thermodynamics relies on statistics. "Theory of Heat" will serve beginners as a sound introduction to thermal physics; advanced students of physics and the history of science will find Maxwell's ideas stimulating, and will be delighted to discover this reprint of a long-unavailable classic. CONTENTS On thermometry, or the theory of temperature Calorimetry Elementary dynamical principles On the measurement of pressure and other internal forces, and of the effects which they produce (Stresses and strains) On lines of equal temperature, or isothermal lines on the indicator diagram (Isothermal curves) On the properties of a substance when heat is prevented from entering or leaving it (Adiabatic curves) On heat engines On the relations between the physical properties of a substance (Four thermodynamical relations) On latent heat On the application of the principles of thermodynamics to gases (Application of thermodynamics to gases) On the intrinsic energy of a system of bodies (Energy, entropy, and dissipation) On free expansion On the determination of heights by the barometer On the propagation of waves On radiation On convection currents On the diffusion of heat by conduction On the diffusion of fluids Capillarity On elasticity and viscosity On the molecular theory of the constitution of bodies (Molecular theory)