Ordinary Thermodynamics

"The present book, grown from lectures delivered at Eotvos Lorand University and papers published in the last decade, presents a dynamical theory of classical thermodynamics. This approach rules out the embarrassing feature of usual treatments in which only equilibrium is admitted as a meaningful state, but the most important assertions (first law and second law) presuppose changes of states i.e. nonequilibrium processes. Now the process becomes the fundamental notion, the process as a function in time, governed by a dynamical equation, like in the well working modern theories: continuum (irreversible) thermodynamics, extended thermodynamics, extended irreversible thermodynamics etc. Equilibrium makes sense as a special process: a constant solution of the dynamical equation. A mathematically exact treatise is expounded after the heuristic explanation of the notions. A large number of special systems are examined. The applied mathematics is simple: the fundamental results of analysis and ordinary differential equations and Ljapunov's stability theory are used only."