I recently completed reading a book called Einstein's Fridge, which discusses thermodynamics. It's one of those science books that helps you understand a vast and truly fascinating topic.
Being an engineering student, I've always appreciated the beauty and scope of thermodynamics and its laws, but the origin of these concepts tells a very different story — one full of hard work, pain, and deep respect.
This book is excellent at storytelling and took me on a journey starting more than 200 years ago. It explains how thermodynamics shapes everything we know about the universe — from the very beginning of time, down to the tiniest particles, and up to the grandest cosmic scales.
The Curiosity Spark
As I read, I found myself questioning and trying to understand every small detail. Often, I'd look things up online, curious about how the laws of thermodynamics could explain some seemingly weird phenomena. And every time, the answers just made sense.
Stories That Stuck With Me
Some topics really stood out, like how much time it took to iterate and perfect the designs of thermodynamic machines, which eventually led to ideas like creating a perpetual motion machine.
So many brilliant minds dedicated their lives to uncovering answers about thermodynamics, even diving deep into the structure of atoms. One person, despite his groundbreaking discoveries, tragically ended his life without knowing that Einstein, on the other side of the world, had already proven the existence of atoms. It really makes you pause and think about the world we often take for granted, built on the immense efforts and sacrifices of so many.
Alan Turing, Einstein, and countless others contributed in different stages, shaping a world where almost everything that exists on Earth can be explained by the laws of thermodynamics (with the fascinating exception of quantum theory, which still plays along in its own unique way).
Thermodynamics Everywhere
Even small topics, like why winters happen, gain a whole new perspective when you see them through the lens of thermodynamics. And massive challenges, like global warming, depend on the brilliant work of these scientists. The limitations imposed by heat transfer laws push us to think differently and innovate.
One surprising fact I didn't know was that Einstein once tried to start a company to make a refrigerator. The story behind it is fascinating — he wanted to help people by improving refrigerator designs, replacing toxic chemicals with safer mechanisms that still achieved the thermodynamic principles necessary for refrigeration.
The book also explains what calories are and how our bodies burn them to produce energy to do work, much like heat engines. It's incredible how much we learn from nature and how we apply those lessons back to understand even more.
I don't even have words. If thermodynamics explains everything, then what's so hard to find? To discover that answer, read this book. But truthfully, there isn't a neat answer. Yes, the solutions are often simple — but the problem statements are difficult. Until we truly understand the problems, we won't know how to apply the answers we already have.