# The third law of thermodynamics or an absolute definition for Entropy. Part 1 : the origin and applications in thermodynamics

## TL;DR

This paper explores the third law of thermodynamics, emphasizing its importance and historical development, and argues against its neglect in climate and atmospheric sciences.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive historical analysis of the third law and advocates for its relevance in understanding weather and climate phenomena.

## Key findings

- The third law is often misunderstood or ignored in climate science.
- Historical insights clarify the law's significance in thermodynamics.
- The law has potential applications in atmospheric sciences.

## Abstract

This article describes the third law of thermodynamics. This law is often poorly known and is often decried, or even considered optional and irrelevant to describe weather and climate phenomena. This, however, is inaccurate and contrary to scientific facts. A rather exhaustive historical study is proposed here in order to better understand, in another article to come, why the third principle can be interesting for the atmosphere sciences.