*Thermodynamics* is the study of temperature, work, heat, pressure and entropy. It became of major interest in physics when steam engines were developed. Thermodynamics answers questions about, e.g. the maximal efficiency of a perfect engine. Today, *thermodynamics* is intimately linked to [[Statistical Mechanics|statistical mechanics]], a way to microscopically explain concepts like temperature or pressure. While this microscopic explanation is of great interest to physicists, thermodynamics is still of major importance in engineering. >[!read]- Further Reading > - [[Classical Physics]] > - [[Statistical Mechanics]] >[!ref]- References >- J. W. Gibbs, _The Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs: In Two Volumes_ (Ox Bow Press, Woodbridge, Conn, 1993).