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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 first and second law of thermodynamics are the most fundamental equations of thermodynamics. They may be combined into what is known as fundamental thermodynamic relation which describes all of the changes of thermodynamic state functions of a system of uniform temperature and pressure.
Many thermodynamic equations are expressed in terms of partial derivatives. For example, the expression for the heat capacity at constant pressure is: = which is the partial derivative of the enthalpy with respect to temperature while holding pressure constant.
The first law of thermodynamics is essentially a definition of heat, i.e. heat is the change in the internal energy of a system that is not caused by a change of the external parameters of the system. However, the second law of thermodynamics is not a defining relation for the entropy.
As an example, mechanical work and heat are process functions because they describe quantitatively the transition between equilibrium states of a thermodynamic system. Path functions depend on the path taken to reach one state from another. Different routes give different quantities. Examples of path functions include work, heat and arc length.
Typically in thermodynamics, the set of processes forms a cycle, so that upon completion of the cycle there has been no net change in state of the system; i.e. the device returns to the starting pressure and volume. [citation needed] The figure shows the features of an idealized PV diagram. It shows a series of numbered states (1 through 4).
The net work equals the area inside because it is (a) the Riemann sum of work done on the substance due to expansion, minus (b) the work done to re-compress. Because the net variation in state properties during a thermodynamic cycle is zero, it forms a closed loop on a P-V diagram .
The definition of the Gibbs function is = + where H is the enthalpy defined by: = +. Taking differentials of each definition to find dH and dG, then using the fundamental thermodynamic relation (always true for reversible or irreversible processes): = where S is the entropy, V is volume, (minus sign due to reversibility, in which dU = 0: work other than pressure-volume may be done and is equal ...