The laws of thermodynamics . . . express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles.
—J. Willard Gibbs1
1. Arguably the greatest scientist America has produced, and one whose contributions led to formalization of theoretical principles of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Quotation source: Gibbs, J. W., Elementary Principles in Statistical Mechanics, Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 1902.
The principle of conservation of energy, discussed in the previous chapter, merely states that the total energy of the universe is constant, and interconversions between different forms of energy are exactly balanced. The principle does not ...