The First Law of Thermodynamics Has Been Rewritten
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- Researchers at West Virginia University have developed a new mathematical framework that extends the first law of thermodynamics to apply to complex systems that are out of thermodynamic equilibrium, addressing a longstanding limitation of the law.
- Traditionally, the first law has only accurately described energy conversion in systems with uniform temperature and pressure, but many natural systems, such as space plasma, exist far from equilibrium with varying properties.
- The breakthrough involved quantifying additional energy conversion factors beyond density and pressure, allowing the first law to describe energy changes in more complicated, non-equilibrium states.
- This advancement could have wide-ranging applications in fields like chemistry, circuitry, quantum computing, and space weather prediction, potentially transforming how scientists understand and manipulate energetic systems.
- The research represents a significant
