The Science of $\Theta \Delta^{cs}$

TL;DR

This paper defends a pragmatic view of thermodynamics as a science of manipulations and their effects, clarifying the roles of different entropy concepts and proposing a distinct perspective called $ heta riangle^{cs}$.

Contribution

It introduces and advocates for a science of manipulations in thermodynamics, offering a new conceptual framework and clarifying the uniqueness of thermodynamic entropy functions.

Findings

Thermo-dynamics can be understood as a science of manipulations.

Gibbs and von Neumann entropies are uniquely linked to thermodynamic entropy.

Coarse-grained entropies are clarified within this framework.

Abstract

There is a long tradition of thinking of thermodynamics, not as a theory of fundamental physics (or even a candidate theory of fundamental physics), but as a theory of how manipulations of a physical system may be used to obtain desired effects, such as mechanical work. On this view, the basic concepts of thermodynamics, heat and work, and with them, the concept of entropy, are relative to a class of envisaged manipulations. This view has been dismissed by many philosophers of physics, in my opinion too hastily. This paper is a sketch and defense of a science of manipulations and their effects on physical systems. This is, I claim, the best way to make sense of thermodynamics as it is found in textbooks and as it is practiced. I call this science thermo-dynamics (with hyphen), or $\Theta \Delta^{cs}$, for short, to highlight that it may be different from the science of thermodynamics, as the reader conceives it. Even if one is not convinced that it is the best way to make sense of thermodynamics as it is practiced, it should be non-controversial that $\Theta \Delta^{cs}$ is a legitimate science. An upshot of the discussion is a clarification of the roles of the Gibbs and von Neumann entropies. Given the definition of statistical thermo-dynamic entropy, it can be proven that, under the assumption of availability of thermodynamically reversible processes, these functions are the unique (up to an additive constant) functions that represent thermo-dynamic entropy. Light is also shed on the use of coarse-grained entropies.}