CÓMO USAR LA TERMODINÁMICA PARA TRATAR ALGUNOS SISTEMASTÉRMICOS FUERA DE EQUILIBRIO

Abstract

It is shown at a level suitable for an undergraduate student that thermodynamics can be used to deal with certain thermal systems out of equilibrium. The trick is to cut the system in parts or slides small enough so that the thermodynamic magnitudes have constant values inside them. As an example, an ideal gas in a thermal gradient is considered. It is shown that a density gradient appears as a consequence of the thermal one. It is also briefly considered the heat conduction in a rod; it is shown that the entropy production rate can be calculated both for the reservoirs and the rod.