Fran çois Massieu and the thermodynamic potentials

Publication date: Available online 13 October 2017 Source:Comptes Rendus Physique Author(s): Roger Balian The thermodynamic potentials have first been introduced in 1869 by François Massieu under the name of “fonctions caractéristiques” in two short articles published in the Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences. Motivated by applications to thermal engines, he showed how such a single function encompasses all properties of a fluid, linking its equation of state to its thermal properties. The conceptual interest of Massieu's functions was acknowledged many decades later.

Source: Comptes Rendus Physique - October 13, 2017 Category: Physics Source Type: research