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Thermodynamic work is one of the principal kinds of process by which a thermodynamic system can interact with and transfer energy to its surroundings. This results in externally measurable macroscopic forces on the system's surroundings, which can cause mechanical work, to lift a weight, for example, [1] or cause changes in electromagnetic, [2] [3] [4] or gravitational [5] variables.
The ancient Greek understanding of physics was limited to the statics of simple machines (the balance of forces), and did not include dynamics or the concept of work. During the Renaissance the dynamics of the Mechanical Powers, as the simple machines were called, began to be studied from the standpoint of how far they could lift a load, in addition to the force they could apply, leading ...
The work can be done, for example, by generators, (electrochemical cells) or thermocouples generating an electromotive force. Electric field work is formally equivalent to work by other force fields in physics, [1] and the formalism for electrical work is identical to that of mechanical work.
Power is the rate with respect to time at which work is done; it is the time derivative of work: =, where P is power, W is work, and t is time. We will now show that the mechanical power generated by a force F on a body moving at the velocity v can be expressed as the product: P = d W d t = F ⋅ v {\displaystyle P={\frac {dW}{dt}}=\mathbf {F ...
In thermodynamics, the Gibbs free energy (or Gibbs energy as the recommended name; symbol ) is a thermodynamic potential that can be used to calculate the maximum amount of work, other than pressure–volume work, that may be performed by a thermodynamically closed system at constant temperature and pressure.
According to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures the joule is defined as "the work done when the point of application of 1 MKS unit of force [newton] moves a distance of 1 metre in the direction of the force." [5] In terms of SI base units and in terms of SI derived units with special names, the joule is defined as [6]
In solid-state physics, the work function (sometimes spelled workfunction) is the minimum thermodynamic work (i.e., energy) needed to remove an electron from a solid to a point in the vacuum immediately outside the solid surface. Here "immediately" means that the final electron position is far from the surface on the atomic scale, but still too ...
The external work done on an elastic member in causing it to distort from its unstressed state is transformed into strain energy which is a form of potential energy. The strain energy in the form of elastic deformation is mostly recoverable in the form of mechanical work.