The Laws of Thermodynamics: A Very Short Introduction

Peter Atkins

Jun 2021 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Nick Sullivan

5.0

2 reviews

Audiobook

3 hr 31 min

Unabridged

Eligible

Ratings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More

Want a 25 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.

Add

Switch to the ebook

About this audiobook

The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal—everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. Written by Peter Atkins, one of the world's leading authorities on thermodynamics, this powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics. Guiding the listener a step at a time, Atkins begins with Zeroth (so named because the first two laws were well established before scientists realized that a third law, relating to temperature, should precede them—hence the jocular name zeroth), and proceeds through the First, Second, and Third Laws, offering a clear account of concepts such as the availability of work and the conservation of energy. Atkins ranges from the fascinating theory of entropy (revealing how its unstoppable rise constitutes the engine of the universe), through the concept of free energy, and to the brink, and then beyond the brink, of absolute zero.

Ratings and reviews

5.0

2 reviews

Alex Zinchenko

March 29, 2025

genius

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

Report illegal content