Rudolf Clausius

By Kaylyn Crawford

The Main Idea

Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888) was a German physicist and mathematician whose main contributions include the second law of thermodynamics and entropy. Clausius also updated theory in the area of kinetics. State, in your own words, the main idea for this topic

Education

Clausius studied mathematics and physics at the University of Berlin in 1840 and later went on to earn a PhD from the University of Halle in 1847.

Work

Clausius's most significant work was in the field of thermodynamics. He wrote the paper On Moving Force of Heat in 1850. In this work he writes, "Heat can never pass from a colder to a warmer body without some other change, connected therewith, occuring at the same time."Clausius's contribution to the field of kinetics included an update to the gas-kinetic model by August Kronig. He revised the model to account for the translational, rotational, and vibrational motion of molecules. On the subject of entropy, Clausius defined the mathematical model for the concept in 1865 and originally symbolized it as Cl for the unit Clausius. This unit was equivalent to 1 calorie per degree celsius.

References

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Clausius.html