Thermodynamics: From Basic Laws to Phase Transitions

A training manual that walks through basic concepts, properties of pure substances, work and heat, and both the first and second laws. It closes with a full treatment of the steam cycle, so you see the theory applied to a working power system.

Various authors

A complete university course covering the zeroth through second laws, properties of pure substances, equations of state and cycle analysis. Powers adds worked homework examples and historical context that make the derivations easier to follow.

Joseph M. Powers

A compact set of physics lecture notes that reviews systems, equilibrium, internal energy and entropy before moving on to applications. Short enough to read in a weekend and precise enough to use before an exam.

Eric Brunet, Thierry Hocquet, Xavier Leyronas

An engineering lecture course that defines energy, the first law and the second law, then shows where they appear in power plants, refrigeration and air conditioning. Plenty of diagrams and solved examples throughout.

Ahmed Abd EL badie, Mahmoud Osama, Mohammed Mosaad

Fowler teaches thermodynamics through its history: the first thermometers, the caloric theory, Carnot's water wheel and the discovery of energy conservation by Mayer and Joule. A good entry point if the equations came before the intuition.

Michael Fowler