12-2-first-law-of-thermodynamics-thermal-energy-and-work_summary

This section focuses on the relationship between pressure, volume, temperature, and work in the context of the ideal gas law. The first law of thermodynamics, known as the law of conservation of energy, is also discussed. The learning objectives include understanding the ideal gas law, pressure-volume work, and the first law of thermodynamics. The first law states that the change in internal energy of a closed system equals the net heat transfer into the system minus the net work done by the system. The section covers solving problems involving the first law of thermodynamics. The key terms discussed are pressure, volume, temperature, internal energy, and the ideal gas law. Expansion joints in railroad tracks and bridges are given as an example of how materials expand due to heat. The section emphasizes the conservation of energy and the relationship between heat and work in transferring energy into and out of a system, and how changes in internal energy can result from either heat transfer or work. The first law of thermodynamics is rearranged to reveal that any energy added by heat to a system is either converted into work or stored as internal energy. The section concludes with the application of thermodynamics to biological systems, such as photosynthesis and metabolism.