CLAUSIUS, RUDOLF. - INTRODUCING THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS IN FRENCH.

Sur la Puissance motrice de la chaleur; par M. Clausius. Extraits par M. Verdet. (Ueber die bewegende Kraft der Wärme....).

Paris, Victor Masson, 1852. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf. Raised bands, gilt spine. A bit rubbed along edges. One hinge starting. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique", 3ieme Serie, Tome 35. 512 pp. a. 2 folded engraved plates. (Entire volume offered). Clausius' paper: pp. 482-503. Stamp to verso of titlepage. Faint scattered brownspots.

First French version of this monumental, famous paper in thermodynamics in which Clausius for the first time states the Second Law of Thermodynamics, one of the most importent laws of Nature having a huge impact on the development of physical theory, cosmology, communications and information theory. The law states that a) the energy of the Universe is constant, and b) the Entropy of the Universe tends to a maximum.
The volume contains further importent papers, extracts of HERMANN HELMHOLTZ announcement of his invention of the Ophthalmoscope, pp. 125-126 with a drawing of its construction. WILLIAM THOMSON (Lord Kelvin) "Examen de la Theorie de la puissance motrice de la chaleur... (On the Dynamical Theory of Heat)", pp. 248-255. A founding paper in Thermodynamics. - JAMES JOULE "Mémoire sur les Changements de temperature produits par la Condensation et la Raréfaction de l'air" and "Sur l'équivalent mécanique de la chaleur" (The conservation of energy-paper), pp. 118-125 a. 1 plate.

Order-nr.: 53454