22. The Boltzmann Constant and First Law of Thermodynamics

For more information about Professor Shankar’s book based on the lectures from this course, Fundamentals of Physics: Mechanics, Relativity, and Thermodynamics, visit  Fundamentals of Physics (PHYS 200) This lecture continues the topic of thermodynamics, exploring in greater detail what heat is, and how it is generated and measured. The Boltzmann Constant is introduced. The microscopic meaning of temperature is explained. The First Law of Thermodynamics is presented. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Recap of Heat Theory 11:54 - Chapter 2. The Boltzman Constant and Avogadro’s Number 18:50 - Chapter 3. A Microscopic Definition of Temperature 30:15 - Chapter 4. Molecular Mechanics of Phase Change and the Maxwell-Boltzmann 46:49 - Chapter 5. Quasi-static Processes 50:19 - Chapter 6. Internal Energy and the First Law of Thermodynamics Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: This course was recorded in Fall