---
product_id: 3728011
title: "Understanding Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics)"
price: "€ 34.34"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/3728011-understanding-thermodynamics-dover-books-on-physics
store_origin: SK
region: Slovakia
---

# Understanding Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics)

**Price:** € 34.34
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Review: Short and Sweet -- A Gem! - After studying thermo for a bit, I have come to the conclusion that in order to really master it, you first need to understand it from the point of view of an engineer. Then from the point of view of a chemist. And finally, from the point of view of a physicist. This book falls into the first category, so I'd suggest reading it early. It has three great strengths: 1) it is only a hundred pages long, 2) it only treats systems with the very simplest of assumptions like constant heat capacities that are very helpful for the student, and 3) it has a couple of excellent and illuminating examples. The first example involves the thermodynamics of power plants. The second involves a mysterious, hypothetical device that has an input for compressed air and two outlets. The inventor claims that inputing compressed air at certain pressure will result in two output streams of air at different temperatures. Oh, the inventor also claims that the device has no moving parts and no batteries. Is this device possible? Van Ness gives a thermodynamic analysis using both the first and the second laws to show under what conditions such a device is at least consistent with the laws of thermodynamics. And yes, there are such conditions. Then van Ness reveals that such devices, called vortex tubes, actually exist and even have at some limited applications in the real world. These two discussions alone make this book a valuable read for anyone trying to understand the basics of thermodynamics. However, this book is still not a good first book on the subject, and the author is well aware of this fact. He states up front that this book is intended as a supplement rather than a main text. The final chapter is devoted to statistical matters. It seems that no one can write a thermodynamics book without giving into the temptation to say something about the statistical nature of entropy and the second law. Sometimes these discussions are helpful and sometimes they are not. Nonetheless, such treatments are guaranteed to do no justice to statistical mechanics, and this treatment is no exception. I did not care for his treatment of ensembles -- in particular the idea that systems in an ensemble can interact with one another, but it does allow him to get the results he's looking for in a reasonably quick and understandable way. Potentially illuminating or confusing depending, but the bottom line is not to rely on thermodynamics books for explanations of statistical mechanics. And this book loses no points from me for precisely this reason.
Review: and engineering) loved the book as a supplement to a common text ... - Everyone in physics, engineering, or chemistry should read this little book! It is a classic! No background is required, and it is full of gems regarding thermal systems. The discussions of the first law, as well as entropy and the second law, are especially insightful. My students (from physics, mathematics, and engineering) loved the book as a supplement to a common text in thermal physics.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #472,999 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #64 in Thermodynamics (Books) #68 in Mechanics #288 in Physics (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 275 Reviews |

## Images

![Understanding Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/714b0C90Y+L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Short and Sweet -- A Gem!
*by J***D on November 21, 2009*

After studying thermo for a bit, I have come to the conclusion that in order to really master it, you first need to understand it from the point of view of an engineer. Then from the point of view of a chemist. And finally, from the point of view of a physicist. This book falls into the first category, so I'd suggest reading it early. It has three great strengths: 1) it is only a hundred pages long, 2) it only treats systems with the very simplest of assumptions like constant heat capacities that are very helpful for the student, and 3) it has a couple of excellent and illuminating examples. The first example involves the thermodynamics of power plants. The second involves a mysterious, hypothetical device that has an input for compressed air and two outlets. The inventor claims that inputing compressed air at certain pressure will result in two output streams of air at different temperatures. Oh, the inventor also claims that the device has no moving parts and no batteries. Is this device possible? Van Ness gives a thermodynamic analysis using both the first and the second laws to show under what conditions such a device is at least consistent with the laws of thermodynamics. And yes, there are such conditions. Then van Ness reveals that such devices, called vortex tubes, actually exist and even have at some limited applications in the real world. These two discussions alone make this book a valuable read for anyone trying to understand the basics of thermodynamics. However, this book is still not a good first book on the subject, and the author is well aware of this fact. He states up front that this book is intended as a supplement rather than a main text. The final chapter is devoted to statistical matters. It seems that no one can write a thermodynamics book without giving into the temptation to say something about the statistical nature of entropy and the second law. Sometimes these discussions are helpful and sometimes they are not. Nonetheless, such treatments are guaranteed to do no justice to statistical mechanics, and this treatment is no exception. I did not care for his treatment of ensembles -- in particular the idea that systems in an ensemble can interact with one another, but it does allow him to get the results he's looking for in a reasonably quick and understandable way. Potentially illuminating or confusing depending, but the bottom line is not to rely on thermodynamics books for explanations of statistical mechanics. And this book loses no points from me for precisely this reason.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and engineering) loved the book as a supplement to a common text ...
*by J***N on December 13, 2016*

Everyone in physics, engineering, or chemistry should read this little book! It is a classic! No background is required, and it is full of gems regarding thermal systems. The discussions of the first law, as well as entropy and the second law, are especially insightful. My students (from physics, mathematics, and engineering) loved the book as a supplement to a common text in thermal physics.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thermodynamics from different angles
*by R***S on December 8, 2018*

We are in 1983, Hendrick is trying to show thermodynamics from different angles using mundane analogies so students can relate to (say before an university course). He starts explaining conservation of energy (first law) using an “unusual” story cooked up by Feynman. You will never forget the first law. NEVER. Because the mother goes incrementally deducing the conservation of energy using sugar cubes. Her son is playing with the sugar cubes in the living room and she just want to know what happens with them as the time goes by. The boy can eat the cubes. Or throw them in a lake or out of a window so squirrels may eat them. By the end of the story, she had figured out the first law of thermodynamics using her own means . This is a powerful methodology because learning becomes very entertaining (Feynman would emphasize that this is the only way of having fun learning).

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*Product available on Desertcart Slovakia*
*Store origin: SK*
*Last updated: 2026-03-01*