Re: Why do we care about heat?

[Jim Green <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>]

> of it to calculate the entropy change.  In any event, the heat we are
> talking about here is *always* a quasistatic exchange of energy between
> two systems that occurs specifically as a result of an infinitesimal
> difference in temperature.

I clearly have a problem here -- if only because the Q in the First Law
(the thing that I assume that you want to call "heat") is NOT energy.

I might agree with the rest as long as I can't think of another reversible
mechanism which changes the entropy.  I truly hope someone will step in
here, because I am really uncomfortable with the above conclusion.

I think that John is saying here that the only mechanism which will allow
the calculation of change in entropy has to do with a temperature difference.

Let me think further.  I am going to think about the piezoelectric effect
and magnetic constriction and some others.

Jim Green
mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen