Adrian Bejan | The pain of not having, from Thermodynamics
The video explains the mathematical body of relations that connect measurable properties to derivable properties, moving from measurements to much more useful results. It revisits the first question, in which calculations and cookbook problems relied on steam tables and properties such as specific internal energy, specific enthalpy, and specific entropy, which are not directly measured and are often expressed in jargon. The video insists that these numbers derive from relations linking experiments to one another and, ultimately, to useful weapons in the hands of machine designers. It strongly argues that thermodynamics did not originate in physics and chemistry but in engineering, machines, and the steam engine driven by cheap power. The steam engine is presented as a huge invention that liberated the world from hard lives dependent on animals and slaves. The discussion closes by stressing common sense, intuition, and listening to people who know the pain of not having.
The video explains that steam table properties are not directly measurable and should not be treated as jargon, because they derive from relations established through experiments. These relations connect measurements to practical uses.
It emphasizes that thermodynamics emerged from machines and the steam engine, not from abstract subjects. The attraction of cheap power is described as central.
James Watt is discussed as a machinist who improved efficiency by separating heating and cooling into different chambers. This intuition about not mixing more than doubled efficiency.
The formation of the company with Matthew Bolton is described as a step that lifted Europe out of poverty. Patents and practical engineering mattered.
Adrian Bejan advises seeking ideas from common folks and everyday places. It highlights the importance of listening to those who understand the pain of not having.
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