First Law of Thermodynamics

The First Law of Thermodynamics generalized the principle of conservation of energy, which was previously known in mechanics, to include heat. Its formulation was a major step in physics, as it definitively refuted the prevailing caloric theory, which considered heat a weightless fluid. Experiments by James Joule in the 1840s, which demonstrated the mechanical equivalent of heat, were crucial in establishing that heat and work are mutually convertible.

The law introduces internal energy ([latex]U[/latex]) as a state function, meaning its value depends only on the current state of the system, not on how it got there. In contrast, heat ([latex]Q[/latex]) and work ([latex]W[/latex]) are path-dependent process quantities. The law’s differential form is [latex]dU = \delta Q – \delta W[/latex]. For a cyclic process, where the system returns to its initial state, the change in internal energy is zero ([latex]\Delta U = 0[/latex]), so the net heat supplied equals the net work done. This principle is the basis for all heat engines. The law also implies the impossibility of a perpetual motion machine of the first kind—a machine that produces work without any energy input.