This book offers an easy to read, all-embracing history of thermodynamics. It describes the long development of thermodynamics, from the misunderstood and misinterpreted to the conceptually simple and extremely useful theory that we know today. Coverage identifies not only the famous physicists who developed the field, but also engineers and scientists from other disciplines who helped in the development and spread of thermodynamics as well.

Although the focus of this textbook is on traditional thermodynamics topics, the book is concerned with introducing the thermal-fluid sciences as well. It is designed for the instructor to select topics and seamlessly combine them with material from other chapters. Pedagogical devices include: learning objectives, chapter overviews and summaries, historical perspectives, and numerous examples, questions, problems and lavish illustrations. Students are encouraged to use the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) online properties database.

Integrates fundamental concepts with experimental data and practical applications, including worked examples and end-of-chapter problems.