The Refrigerator and the Universe

In this volume, the Goldsteins aim to explain the laws of thermodynamics. Whether we want to know how a simple device like a refrigerator works, or to understand the fate of the universe, we must start with the concepts of energy and entropy. The authors begin with the historical development of thermodynamics. They describe attempts by engineers and "natural philosophers" to understand the nature of heat and its efficient use in heat engines to produce motion, and how these led to the 19th-century discovery of two fundamental laws of energy, which apply to fields as diverse as physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. Although 20th-century discoveries of relativity, and quantum mechanics have modified these laws, they have not been contradicted. Once the fundamental concepts have been explained, the Goldsteins show how the laws follow from the atomic theory of matter. They give examples of their applicability to phenomena such as: the radiation of light from hot bodies; the formation of diamonds from graphite; how the blood carries oxygen; and the history of the earth, and how it maintains its temperature.
The laws of energy, the authors conclude, affect everything, even if they do not explain everything. The Goldsteins feature the scientific personalities involved, and the problems that they solved, or failed to solve. The book is designed to appeal to those with little scientific background but a curiosity about the concepts of energy and entropy; and also to scientists who use thermodynamics in their research and would like to broaden their understanding of the subject.