Abstract This paper studies the first and second laws of thermodynamics and attempts to explain why humans do not violate the second law. The paper looks at the structure of ATP and the ADP/ATP cycle. The paper also examines the induced fit model of enzyme/substrate interaction.
From the Paper "The first law of thermodynamics says that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be changed from one form to another. The total amount of energy and matter in the universe remains constant; it merely changes from one..."
Tags: ATP/ADP Cycle, 1st Law of Thermodynamics, 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, induced fit model
Abstract This paper discusses the question of including thermodynamics in the study of economics. It is very important to include it when studying neo-classical economics and free-market activity because it alone seems capable of introducing consumption pattern analysis into the study of economics. Thermodynamics is important within ecological economics and within economics in general because the environment within which all economies function is anchored in a finite system that is constrained by its very nature and character.
From the Paper "Resources are limited and many are not reproducible in any type of practical natural sense that would allow even sustainable growth models to be applicable. Petroleum will eventually be completely depleted and the natural process of producing it is simply not a practical option that would result in sustainable consumption patterns. "
Abstract This paper examines how fundamental the principles of thermodynamics are to pharmacy. The paper covers the topics of Gibbs free energy change, heat of formation, partial molar free energy, energy change and entropy, and discusses how all these are important in pharmaceutics in deciding drug delivery and dosage form. The paper presents the reader with a clearer insight into how important the above are, with extensive explanations into the three laws of thermodynamics and how they all help the modern day pharmaceutical scientist. Many of the complicated calculations involved in thermodynamics are exemplified through examples.
From the Paper "A pharmacist is regarded as a professional scientist. Thus he is expected to know more than ever, is a thorough knowledge of thermodynamics. This discipline forms a rudimentary backbone of most of the material sciences as many other disciplines do "borrow" heavily from this. 1,3 In studying thermodynamics, it attempts to integrate the factual knowledge of pharmacy and it aids the pharmaceutical scientist to predict the solubility, stability, feasibility, compatibility and biological action of drug products fairly accurately. Processes such as partitioning of solutes between immiscible solvents, the solubility of drugs, micellisation and drug-receptor interaction can all be treated in thermodynamic terms. 1Thermodynamics is concerned with the quantitative relationships between heat and other forms of energy, including mechanical, chemical, electric and radiant energy. 1The main feature to remember in the study of thermodynamics is that it is not possible to know the absolute value of the energy of a system but it is possible to record changes in energy that happen when a system undergoes transformation."
Abstract This paper contends that thermodynamics can be used as a guide to explain living systems because living systems are simply a manifestation of components of non-living systems, with atoms, elements and an injection of micro-electricity guiding the process. The author points out that this relatively simple assumption has guided years of research and allows scientists to create explanations, which employ thermodynamics to define the development and more importantly the creation of life. The paper relates that a conflict occurs when the biological systems lean in the direction of complexity, as all living systems do, and the human mind then falters in his or her ability to apply thermodynamic laws to living systems. The paper includes a formula and several long quotations.
From the Paper "Within this driving force of potential complexity and also the inability of simple science to correct for unpredictability there is debate, the driving force of answers. Debate ensues among those who attempt to simplify matters into those which can be recreated and documented repeatable effects to create scientific truth and those who wish to make conjecture part of the scientific rule on this issue. Some would say that the groundhog example is explainable through science, and still others would contend that it is not the environment that determines the reality of the system, ..."
Abstract This paper discusses unsustainable consumption patterns and the laws of thermodynamics. It discusses the relationship between thermodynamics and the study of neo-classical economics and free-market society and its importance in the current economic model. Finally, the paper examines why ecological economics is antithetical to neo-classical economists and free market advocates and then discusses the need for further research on the topic.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Thermodynamics in Economics
Current Importance
Objections
Further Research
From the Paper "The first law of thermodynamics is the law of conservation and this law is critical in the establishment of sustainable consumption patterns within a free-market economy that rejects all forms of constraints (Lawn pars.2-5). Although this law states that energy cannot be destroyed or created it illustrates that materials that result in energy can be depleted through transformation processes that result in forms of energy that cannot be harvested in an economic sense. Entropy is essentially the second law of thermodynamics and as such is central to thermodynamics as it is applied to ecological economics. Entropy is the concept in ecological economics that describes the state of potential energy as being less than the initial energy contained within an item or unit (Finch & McMaster 135). It describes the necessity of continually introducing new energy into economic activity to produce ever greater results or outcomes at the risk of economic shutdown."
Abstract This paper presents three chemistry experiments: (1) the effect of temperature on solubility and the thermodynamic relationships, (2) radioactive decay, and (3) electroplating with copper. The paper gives experimental details and calculations for each experiment.
From the Paper "This experiment examined the effects of changing temperature on the amount of solute that would dissolve in a given amount of water. Water solubility is defined as ..."
Abstract In this article, the writer offers a definition of the process of osmosis. The writer answers specific questions on the effect on cells of osmotic pressure. The writer then discusses the transport of large molecules into cells. In this paper, the writer examines thermodynamics and enzymes. The writer alos presents technical information in this regard.
From the Paper "Osmosis is the process of diffusion of water molecules across a membrane. The contents of cells are basically solutions of many different solutes and the more concentrated this solution is the more solute molecules there are in a given volume and the less water molecules. Water molecules can diffuse freely across a membrane but only down a concentration gradient so water always diffuses from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution. Osmosis can be quantified using water potential so it is possible to calculate ... "
Tags: osmotic pressure, thermodynamics, enzymes, transport into cells
Abstract This paper uses the second law of thermodynamics to explain why a properly designed source-separation recycling program takes less energy and produces less pollution than a centralized program that collects mixed waste over a large area and hauls it to a centralized facility where workers or machinery separates the waste for recycling.
From the Paper "Waste is an unavoidable consequence of our consumer oriented, highly industrialized society. In 2000, Canadians generated 1021 kg of non-hazardous waste per capita (Statistics Canada, 2002). 747kg of this waste were disposed of per capita (Statistics Canada, 2002), while the rest was recycled. Torontonians for example recycled 699 tonnes of household waste in 2001 (Ministry of Environment, 2004). Household waste generation was 353kg per capita in 2000 (Statistics Canada, 2002). The situation is similar in most developing countries although the levels of recycling vary. Growing concern for the environment, constant increase in the amounts of waste produced, economic, land and social costs involved in developing new landfill sites and public opinion have brought about the need to approach waste management in a broader context. "
Abstract In this article, the writer studies the character of Josiah Willard Gibbs, a mathematician and physicist. The writer discusses that he managed to achieve great things during his lifetime and lead the world on to greater and better scientific discoveries. The writer points out that Josiah Willard Gibbs has been recognized as one of the greatest American scientists of the nineteenth century. Further the writer notes that it is Gibbs who managed to provide a sound thermodynamic foundation to physical chemistry, to America and to the entire world.
From the Paper "The second work that Gibbons published in the same year was "A Method of Geometrical Representation of the Thermodynamic Properties of Substances by Means of Surfaces". From the years from 1876 to 1878, Gibbs published two memoirs, which were later to be combined into one work, entitled, "On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances". Added to this, Josiah Willard Gibbs has contributed to various other spheres, like for example, crystallography, the determination of planetary and comet orbits, and also to electromagnetic theory. The most interesting phenomenon that Gibbs managed to achieve was that he made the practical side of science appealing and fascinating. Gibbs was also recognized as a 'theoretical physicist' of international stature, and he received a patent in the year 1866 for an improved type of railroad brake."
Tags:thermodynamics, science, accomplishments, mathematical, field
Abstract This paper explains that, according to astrophysicists, society may never have a way of accessing any information about anything that occurred prior to the first milliseconds after the Big Bang; therefore, the truth of whether or not any God or Creator is responsible for the existence of the universe and life may never be known for lack of necessary data. However, the author continues, many 20th century philosophers believe that the harmony of nature proves the existence of a creator. Nonetheless, presently, the paper underscores, there is simply no logically sound argument to suggest that the existence of any God or Creator is even one iota more likely than not to be true.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Analyzing the Issue Is Impossible because it Lies Outside the Realm of Human Intellect
The Mere Fact that We Exist Is Proof that a Creator Exists and the Inability to Explain Spontaneous Creation Proves that a Creator Is Necessary
Increasing Complexity Violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics The Universe Could Not Have Come into Existence from Nothing
The Harmony of Nature Proves the Existence of a Creator
Conclusion
From the Paper "Answering the question by reference to a God or Creator simply raises the exact same logical problems about the Creator: (1) if the self-creation of the universe is impossible, a self- created God is equally impossible; if spontaneous origin of the universe is impossible, a spontaneously originating Creator is equally impossible; and if the reality of the mechanism behind the origin of God is too complex to understand, it does not in any way explain or solve the perplexing problem about the existence of the universe."
Tags:thermodynamics, cultural definitions, system self-creation, logical
principles
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between temperature and heat. It defines heat and temperature and discusses three core heat-related subjects that play important roles to better understand the study of thermal physics - thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and kinetic theory. The paper examines the similarities and differences between heat and temperature.
From the Paper "Aside from the discussions we have made above, there are also other heat transfer mechanisms that we should know. These are latent heat and heat pipe. In latent heat, the transfer of heat results to a change in physical form such as water-to-ice or water-to-steam. When heat is transferred, the substance ice can be melted into water. If you will notice, this change does not cause a raise in temperature. Although heat is absorbed by this change of state, the absorbed energy is not used to speed up the molecules, but the energy was used to change the bonding between the molecules. These processes were utilized through the use of refrigerator, steam engine, and other mechanical and electrical devices. A refrigerator uses heat exchanger that is built for efficient heat transfer from one liquid to another. The fluids may be separated by a solid wall so that they never mix, or the fluids are directly contacted. Heat exchangers are also used in air conditioning, space heating, power production, and chemical processing. On the contrary, if a solid is heated through its melting point, it will melt and turn to liquid. Heat pipes, on the other side, can also carry many times as much heat as a similar-sized copper rod using latent heat and capillary action. Although the heat transfer in boiling fluid is complex, it is of considerable technical importance in the industry. Truly, temperature and heat are vital life."
Abstract Postmodern literature is one of the most confounding genres in existence today, a reflection of the confusion of the world in which it exists. Thomas Pynchon's novel "The Crying of Lot 49" deals with this difficult issue, using entropy as its organizational structure. The author discusses the novel and its themes.
From the Paper ?Man now lives in a circle without a center, or in a maze without a way out.? (Edward Said, "Abecedarium Culturae: Structuralism, Absence, Writing") Edward Said's words incorporate a very recognizable trait in contemporary society: our journey away from the simpler, concrete, more understandable world of the past into the more complex, abstract, and confusing world of tomorrow. As man grows "smarter" or becomes more aware of his surroundings, we gather more and more information about our universe in an attempt to find ?truth.?
Abstract The author of this paper describes how 16 of those who attended the fifth Solvay Conference in Brussels in 1927 were laureates or went on to win the Nobel Prize. He examines in detail the contributions these attendees made to the field of physics.
From the Paper "Compton is responsible for the study of the scattering of high-energy photons by electrons-the Compton effect. Besides Langmuir, Compton was the only American at the Fifth Solvay Conference. Compton was also responsible for pioneering work on gamma rays and their interaction with matter. Towards the end of his career, Compton worked on cosmic rays."
Tags: Einstein, Bohr, chemistry, Quantum, Theory, thermodynamics, EPR, paper
Abstract This paper talks about the ways in which the shuttle is designed to overcome basic heat transfer problems during launch, orbit and re-entry. The main points in this paper are the active and passive systems in the TPS and the history of the shuttle design.
From the Paper "10...9...8...Patiently the Space Shuttle waits on the launch pad...7...6... everything is in place...5...4... all functions are working properly...3... the conditions are comfortable on the coast of Florida, and the temperature is nice and warm...2...1... IGNITION! (Figure #1) The sudden burn of the rockets jolts the humongous craft to life. As streams of flame shoot out its lower portion, the craft begins to inch skyward. In no time its speed has increased, and it begins hurtling through the air towards its mission. While still inside Earth's atmosphere, the airflow over the Shuttle begins to warm the craft's surface, until it becomes "white hot." Then, the craft breaks free of the atmosphere's restraints, plunging into the freezing void of outer space. The Space Shuttle must be able to withstand these temperature extremes and still accomplish its mission objectives. After the mission, as the craft returns to Earth, it again encounters tremendously high temperatures as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. The Shuttle encounters a lot of atmospheric resistance and slows itself down through this phase, then finally glides to a comfortable rest at Edwards Air Force Base in sunny Southern California, where the astronauts and craft must prepare to begin the process all over again. These intense hot and cold extremes drive scientists and design engineers as they work to control the internal temperature of the space shuttle throughout the various phases of its journey. They do this by using many creative systems such as specially designed tiles and radiator systems, to both reflect and radiate heat that would otherwise be dangerous to the craft and crew."
From the Paper " By the last few decades of the nineteenth century, theoretical physics was entering a state of crisis.. This crisis, which reached its culmination about the turn of the century, was due to several factors. New discoveries, some quite accidental (such as that of X-rays) made physicists aware of previously unimagined form of radiant energy..
In addition, the development of precise means of measurements allowed experimental confirmation to be sought even for extremely subtle effects, which previously would have remained in the domain of theory alone.. For example, the luminiferous ether, through which light was supposed to move, was widely assumed to exist by nineteenth century physicists. Once its effects became measurable, experimentalists sought to identify them--and failed to find them, triggering a crisis.."
