Abstract
An interpretation of the conceptual basis of thermodynamics is advanced. This interpretation is meant to identify the essential origins of thermodynamics, to clarify its character, and to indicate the plausible directions of its potential generalisations. It is suggested that thermodynamics can be viewed as the study of those properties of macroscopic matter which follow from the symmetry properties of physical laws, mediated through the statistics of large systems.
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© 1973 Instituto de Alta Cultura-Núcleo de Estudos de Engenharia Mecanica
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Callen, H. (1973). A Symmetry Interpretation of Thermodynamics. In: Domingos, J.J.D., Nina, M.N.R., Whitelaw, J.H. (eds) Foundations of Continuum Thermodynamics. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-02235-9_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-02235-9_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
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