Fundamental Laws of Nature/Laws of Thermodynamics
and Related Definitions 
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YES! Thermodynamics, a science of energy, and the Mother of All Sciences will provide vision for the future energy solutions:
Insulation (to minimize losses), Regeneration (to recover losses), Cogeneration (to minimize irreversibility), and Conservation with Optimization (to increase efficiency).
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All interactions in nature are physical and based on simple cause-and-effect conservation laws, thus deterministic and should be without any exceptional phenomenon. Due to diversity and complexity of large systems, we would never be able to observe deterministic phenomena with full details but have to use holistic and probabilistic approach for observation; therefore, our observation methodology is holistic and probabilistic, but phenomena have to be deterministic, not miraculous nor probabilistic.
Definition in alphabetical order:
Definition in logical order: System
DEFINITION of ENERGY: "Energy is a fundamental property of a physical system and refers to its potential to maintain a material system identity or structure (forced field in space) and to influence changes (via forced-displacement interactions, i.e. systems' re-structuring) with other systems by imparting work (forced directional displacement) or heat (forced chaotic displacement/motion of a system molecular or related structures). Energy exists in many forms: electromagnetic (including light), electrical, magnetic, nuclear, chemical, thermal, and mechanical (including kinetic, elastic, gravitational, and sound) ... Energy is the ‘‘building block’’ and fundamental property of matter and space and, thus, the fundamental property of existence. Energy exchanges or transfers are associated with all processes (or changes) and, thus, are indivisible from time." (by M. Kostic). NOTE If all energy is literally expelled from a confined space, then nothing, empty space will be left. As long as any matter is left it will contain the energy - even at zero absolute temperature the electrons will be orbiting around very energetic nucleus. Matter is and must be energetic, E=mc^2, thus literally, "energy is everything," no energy, nothing in the space.
DEFINITION of ENTROPY: "Entropy is an integral measure of (random) thermal energy redistribution (due to heat transfer or irreversible heat generation) within a system mass and/or space (during system expansion), per absolute temperature level. Entropy is increasing from perfectly-ordered (singular and unique) crystalline structure at zero absolute temperature (zero reference) during reversible heating (entropy transfer) and entropy generation during irreversible energy conversion (lost of work-potential to thermal energy), i.e. energy degradation or random equi-partition within system material structure and space per absolute temperature level." (by M. Kostic). NOTE that work-potential is preserved (conserved) if the non-equilibrium is preserved (with regard to the common equilibrium), i.e., during reversible processes. FURTHERMORE, entropy of a system for a given state is the same, regardless whether it is reached by reversible heat transfer or irreversible heat or irreversible work transfer.
DEFINITION of The 2nd LAW (SECOND LAW) of Energy Degradation: "Non-equilibrium, i.e., non-uniform distribution of mass-energy in space, tends in time to spontaneously and irreversibly redistribute over space towards common equilibrium, thus non-equilibrium cannot be spontaneously created. All natural spontaneous, or over-all processes (proceeding by itself and without interaction with the rest of the surroundings) between systems in non-equilibrium have irreversible tendency towards common equilibrium - and thus irreversible loss of the original work-potential (measure of non-equilibrium), by converting other energy forms into the thermal energy accompanied with increase of entropy (randomized equi-partition of energy per absolute temperature level)" (by M. Kostic). The spontaneous forced tendency of mass-energy transfer is due to a difference or non-equilibrium in space of the mass-energy space-density or mass-energy-potential. As mass-energy is transferred from higher to lower potential, and thus conserved, the lower mass-energy potential is increased on the expense of the higher potential until the two equalize, i.e., until a lasting equilibrium is established. THAT explains a process tendency towards the common equilibrium and impossibility of otherwise (impossibility of spontaneous creation of non-equilibrium). If a non-equilibrium is preserved "in part or in whole" then the preserved mass-energy transfer is termed as a "work", the "in whole" being the maximum possible or the work potential. In a process the (maximum) work potential will in part or in whole be irreversibly converted (i.e., dissipated via "heat" transfer) into newly generated thermal energy ("randomized" energy) thus generating/increasing the entropy (generated thermal energy per absolute temperature). If, in limit, the dissipated work potential is infinitesimal, then the original non-equilibrium is preserved, i.e., rearranged only, and thus the process could be reversed, in limit again, to the original non-equilibrium - a reversible process. THEREFORE, it is impossible to produce work from a single thermal reservoir in equilibrium, then a non-equilibrium (stored work potential) will be spontaneously created. FURTHERMORE, the spontaneous creation of non-equilibrium will in time "siphon" or compress all existing mass-energy, in limit, into an infinitesimal space with infinite mass-energy potential singularity, thus contradicting the equilibrium space existence in time. ["Spontaneous" imply "by itself" or "on its own" and without inertial and/or reversible/elastic forcing which may produce local non-equilibrium of one kind on the expense of others - again, the non-equilibrium cannot be created spontaneously, but only "lost", i.e., transferred to equilibrium !]
The fundamental “cause-and-effect” concepts and phenomena are often simple, but they are usually manifested in many different forms and are mutually coupled or interrelated. We often need to make different simplifications and idealizations in order to be able to isolate and then understand and analyze the phenomena. Real properties and processes are often coupled and we usually need to idealize and decouple them to focus on one issue and better understand and explain it. For example, any thermal process is coupled with mechanical expansion and vice versa and we may decouple those, like idealizing an isochoric process with heat transfer only, or isentropic process without heat transfer, excluding thermal radiation, etc. We may idealize systems, like ideal gas or incompressible fluid, etc., or boundaries, like ridged, adiabatic, etc., or processes, like frictionless or non-dissipative, quasi-equilibrium or reversible, etc. The emphasis here will be on the thermo-mechanical interactions where the conservation of energy was historically first “stuck” and re-established (The 1st Law of Thermodynamics), however it could be easily extended to other interactions involving electro-magnetic, electro-chemical, or nuclear processes. We will idealize and define the most essential concepts and related nomenclature used in this treatise (in some logical order) as follows:
System (also Particle or Body or Object) refers here to any, arbitrary chosen but fixed material physical system in space (from a single particle to system of particles, occupying system volume within its own enclosure interface or system boundary, separating itself from its surroundings), which is subject to observation and analysis. A system is made of material sub-systems with certain structure or substructure, down to the most fundamental elementary particles that we are not capable of looking further into and consider them to be material points. The elementary particles are “forcibly bound” in larger particles which posses mass and energy in space, thus have dimensions, and are capable to “forcibly bound and or interact” with each other and form larger structures with forced fields in space, and so on. We know that physical systems are made of very small and discrete particles on sub-nucleus, atomic and molecular scale, see Fig. 1, but also may be considered as continuum media, with integrated average particle properties at larger scales.
Energy is a fundamental property of a physical system and refers to its potential to maintain a material system identity or structure (forced field in space) and to influence changes (via forced-displacement interactions, i.e. systems' re-structuring) with other systems by imparting work (forced directional displacement) or heat (forced chaotic displacement/motion of a system molecular or related structures). Energy exists in many forms: electromagnetic (including light), electrical, magnetic, nuclear, chemical, thermal, and mechanical (including kinetic, elastic, gravitational, and sound) ... Energy is the ‘‘building block’’ and fundamental property of matter and space and, thus, the fundamental property of existence. Energy exchanges or transfers are associated with all processes (or changes) and, thus, are indivisible from time. NOTE If all energy is literally expelled from a confined space, then nothing, empty space will be left. As long as any matter is left it will contain the energy - even at zero absolute temperature the electrons will be orbiting around very energetic nucleus. Matter is and must be energetic, E=mc^2, thus literally, "energy is everything," no energy, nothing in the space.
Mass refers to system measure of inertia (resistance to system acceleration or motion change as a whole). Much of the mass of a nucleon (proton or neutron) resides in form of energy of the gluons which bind quarks into nucleon (not yet fully understood), while the residing energy of photons’ electromagnetic field which bind electrons to nucleus is very small, see Fig. 1. We may postulate, especially after Einstein’s energy-mass correlation, that mass is a kind of spinning energy in all directions within elementary particles which give rise to its inertia, i.e. forced resistance to change of its motion (acceleration) in all directions as an integral particle mass or an integral system mass. Statements about quarks (elementary particles) which make protons and neutrons and their bindings must be taken with a grain of salt, since interactions between elementary particles are not yet well understood, and they are believed to be material points (wit zero dimensions) since their structure is not known at all.
Forced Field refers to “conservative or reversible or elastic” force distribution in space responsible for particle and/or system structure or mass-energy distribution in space. The binding energy of any structure is “stored” within that structure and represents potential energy which could be partially released if a system structure is transformed. i.e. restructured into another structure, like in nuclear or chemical reactions. Forced field is a displacement gradient of related potential energy of a system.
Motion refers to system (and its structure) activity that manifests in its displacement in space and time, thus defining space coordinates and time. System motion could be resolved into different components as spinning around its center of mass, vibration, rotation around other systems, and linear translation. Spinning and twisting/vibrations around a system’s center of mass may not directly influence interactions with other systems but contribute to that system stored energy and may be a cause-and-effect of the related forced fields. However the translational motion is bound to interact with other systems via collision (also may be enhanced in part by rotation and vibration at the time of collision), and such random motion of system structure (molecular and related substructure) gives rise to temperature (particulate kinetic energy) and pressure (particulate change of momentum rate per unit area in direction normal to the area), and similar, see Fig. 1.
Interaction (also Collision or Process) refers to energy exchange via forced displacement in time between two material systems -- a generalized collision, i.e. a “cause-and-effect” process. Interaction involves and thus define, or inter-define force, mass and motion, the latter being relative space displacement in time with reference to the two interacting systems. We may be lost at the elementary particle scale or sub-scale due to our inability to observe the phenomena with the tools we comprehend (the photons and electromagnetic waves are the finest resolution tools we comprehend now), or we may be lost at the large scale in “curved space” for similar reason. However, we have accumulated a lot of observations in a long time over a large space scale that we could rigorously reason the first law of energy conservation at phenomenological thermodynamic scale, which is subject of this treatise.
Structure or Equilibrium State (also System Identity State or System Properties) refers to apparently quasi-static structure with sustained macro system properties (which are statistical averages of corresponding micro-structure properties), like temperature, pressure, volume, entropy, energy and others. If an isolated system’s properties are non-uniform, the spontaneous interactions, given enough time, will take place towards equalization of their statistical averages over space and time, and towards uniformity of macro properties which is in effect the maximum probability of all possible microstates for a given macro state, i.e towards an equilibrium state with maximum entropy. For example the random kinetic energy of micro-structure will equi-partition its kinetic energy (i.e. redistribute kinetic energy statistically equally among all its particles) and thus equalize its temperature and pressure, and in turn all other properties.
Relativity refers to properties of a system with reference to other systems or a chosen reference system, since all observations and interactions are between the systems. Our observations and comprehensions of the systems are limited with our existence, including sensing and mental tools, as well as our space and time scales, so that subject of this treatise is referring to phenomenological, thermodynamic properties and interactions, which may be extended inward and outward as long as we are aware of relativity and uncertainty outside of observed extreme space and time scales. As already mentioned, we may be lost at the elementary particle scale or sub-scale due to our inability to observe the phenomena with the tools we comprehend (the photons and electromagnetic waves are the finest resolution tools we comprehend now), or we may be lost at the large scale in “curved space” for similar reason.
Interface Boundary (or Boundary for short) refers to “real” or imaginary boundary surface in space to separate systems or sub-systems or their parts from each other. In reality the interface boundary between the systems is irregular and time-changing surface defined by the interaction forces separating the two systems. If diffusion of one system structure into the other system structure is negligible than the boundary may be idealized as impermeable. Similarly if heat transfer or deformation or any interaction are negligible, we may idealize the boundary as adiabatic or rigid or isolated, respectively, and so on.
Isolated System refers to a system with an idealized isolated boundary enclosure which does not allow for any interaction with its surroundings. In reality there are no such idealized boundaries since it is impossible to prevent all interactions with the surroundings. Isolated system should not be confused with a system “left alone in the universe,” since such system will spontaneously expend and or radiate into the “empty” universe (there is no “empty” universe either!). A good approximation of an isolated thermo-mechanical system is a thermos or insulated vacuum bottles, or a ridged container with surrounding temperature equal to the system temperature.
Ideal Gas refers to idealization of real gasses at high temperature (high molecular velocities) and low pressure (high separation between the molecules) as if a gas molecules are material points with real velocities and mass but zero space dimension (material points) and without any intermolecular forces. This idealization simplifies the ideal gas molecules’ interactions as random elastic collisions only. Since this idealization provides for convenient analysis of random molecular motion and is not much different from reality, the corresponding kinetic theory of ideal gasses has explained and proved many thermal phenomena (see Fig. 1).
Work refers to controlled energy transfer when one system is exerting force in specific direction and thus making a purposeful change (displacement) of the other systems. It is inevitably (spontaneously) accompanied, to a larger or smaller degree, with dissipative (without control) energy transfer referred to as heat (see below, and for more details in next Section).
Mechanical Energy refers to the energy associated with ordered motion of moving objects at large scale (kinetic) and ordered elastic potential energy within the mechanical structure (potential elastic), as well as potential energy in gravitational field (potential gravitational).
Temperature refers to the average kinetic energy during thermal interaction of disordered microscopic motion of molecules and atoms. The concept of temperature is complicated by the particle internal degrees of freedom like molecular rotation and vibration and by the existence of internal interactions in solid materials which can include so called collective molecular or atomic behavior. All of those motions could contribute to the kinetic energy during particle (thermal) interaction. When two objects are in thermal contact (i.e. interaction of random motion of their particles), the one that tends to spontaneously give away (loose) energy is at the higher temperature. In general, temperature is a measure of the tendency of an object to spontaneously exchange thermal energy with other object until their temperatures equalize, that is until their interacting particle kinetic energy equi-partition (statistically equalize).
Heat refers to inevitable (spontaneous) energy transfer due to temperature differences, to a larger or smaller degree without control (dissipative) via chaotic (in all directions, non purposeful) displacement/motion of system molecules and related microstructure, including thermal radiation, as opposed to controlled (purposeful and directional) energy transfer referred to as work (see above, and for more details in next Section).
Internal Thermal Energy refers to the energy associated with the random, disordered motion of molecules and potential energy of intermolecular forces, as opposed to the macroscopic ordered energy associated with ordered “bulk” motion of system structure at large scale, and excluding internal binding energy within atoms (nuclear) and within molecules (chemical).
Internal (Total) Energy refers to the energy associated with the random, disordered motion of molecules and intermolecular potential energy (thermal), potential energy associated with chemical molecular structure (chemical) and atomic nuclear structure (nuclear), as well as with other structural potentials in force fields (electrical, magnetic, elastic, etc.). It refers to the “invisible” microscopic energy on the subatomic, atomic and molecular scale as opposed to “visible” mechanical, bulk energy.
Absolute Zero Temperature refers to a system state where the random (thermal) kinetic energy of its structure (molecules if system is made of molecules, or a lattice random vibration if a system is made of crystalline lattice of molecules or atoms, which give rise to the temperature) is zero (see definition of temperature above). However the motion within the system structure (binding motion within nucleus, atom and molecule) is sustained to maintain identity of the system and prevent the collapse and disintegration of the system structure as such.
Entropy is an integral measure of (random) thermal energy redistribution (due to heat transfer or irreversible heat generation) within a system mass and/or space (during system expansion), per absolute temperature level. Entropy is increasing from perfectly-ordered (singular and unique) crystalline structure at zero absolute temperature (zero reference) during reversible heating (entropy transfer) and entropy generation during irreversible energy conversion (lost of work-potential to thermal energy), i.e. energy degradation or random equi-partition within system material structure and space per absolute temperature level. NOTE that work-potential is preserved (conserved) if the non-equilibrium is preserved (with regard to the common equilibrium), i.e., during reversible processes. FURTHERMORE, entropy of a system for a given state is the same, regardless whether it is reached by reversible heat transfer or irreversible heat or irreversible work transfer.
Thermal Radiation refers to spontaneous electromagnetic radiation (photonic radiation) induced by random collision of elementary system structure (atoms and molecules), which is in turn due to kinetic energy of random motion of the system structure, i.e. system temperature. During random thermal interactions the electrons’ energy levels are changed within atoms, thus emitting photons, i.e. electromagnetic thermal radiation. It is also the final energy redistribution to the smallest (finest) structure known to man. Also, it is the price paid to maintain equilibrium state with the random thermal motion, and if not compensated from other sources outside of the system, the system will radiate away its thermal energy and cool towards absolute zero temperature.