Sadi Carnot and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

J Srinivasan is a Professor both at Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Department of Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. His research interests include thermal science, atmospheric science and solar energy.

The second law of thermodynamics is one of the enigmatic laws of physics. Sadi Carnot, a French engineer played an important role in its discovery in the 19th century. We recount here how he proposed the basic postulates of this law although he did not fully understand the first law of thermodynamics.

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Address for Correspondence
J Srinivasan 
Chairman, Centre for Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences 
Indian Institute of Science 
Bangalore 560 012, India. 
Email: jayes@caos.iisc.ernet.in