Some Further Implications Of The First Law

It emerges that logic of mystery surrounds the First law; Bent has characterized it therefore:

“Most of the people seem to trust this firmly; mathematicians since they think it are a fact of observation; observers since they believe it are a theorem of mathematics; philosophers since they believe it is aesthetically satisfying, or as they believe no inference depend upon it has ever been proven false, or since they believe new forms of energy can forever be invented to make it true, a few neither believe it nor distrust it; such people keep that the First law is a process for book-keeping energy changes, and about bookkeeping process it must be asked, nor are they true or false, though are they helpful”.  

In the matter of ‘inventing’ new kinds of energy, the discovery of radioactivity generated a crisis in physics concerning the First law. For an excellent analogy regarding the process of ‘inventing’ new kinds of energy to perpetuate the truthfulness of the First law, refer to Feynman.

The First Law of Thermodynamics bans the construction of a perpetual motion machine of the First kind (as shown in figure below). (The PMMI would be capable to operate continuously, and gradually deliver work without communication with any other systems). No device for generating energy from nothing has ever worked. The patent applications on machines of this type are no longer entertained in England, France, and most other nations of the world.

                             Figure: Perpetual-Motion Machine of the First Kind