Lever Giga

Wonders and milestones of Science for civilization

Right from ancient time science has revolutionized a wheel of progress made so far. Historical contribution of science for society was initiated by Alexander Grahm Bell whose mom and students whom he married were deaf, on March 10, 1876, at small laboratory at Boston, USA, established a communication from one room to another. It led to establish Bell Telephone Company in year 1877 for quicker communication. Gregor Mendel, central European monk who published his ideas on genetics in 1866 but largely went unrecognized until 1900, and a long after his death, was recognized as father of genetics. Newton gave laws for gravitational force, Jams Watt discovered locomotive engine, Hargovind Singh khurana synthesized artificial gene and Madam Curie discovered a radioactive materials named Pitchblende in 1911. Antoine Lavoisier, a French Chemist in 1700s, put forward a quantitative basis for chemistry by measuring weights of materials used in chemical reactions. For this work, Lavoisier is known as a "father of modern chemistry. His prefixes are most important in modern day technology where decimal and exponential equivalents in a metric system are very useful and listed as pico for 10-12, nano for 10-9, micro for 10-6, milli for 10-3, centi for 10-2 for deci for 10-1, no prefix for 00, deka for 101, hepta for 102, kilo for 103,mega for 106 and giga for 109.

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Many more could be derived by conversion from one unit of length to another in a metric system by shifting a decimal point. For example 12 inches make feet and 5280 feet make a mile. There are many glaring discoveries which are indispensable from the society for example in 19th century matter and energy have been complementary to each other and has fascinated Einstein for principle of relativity. It led him to make nuclear bombs, bombarded on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the business cities of Japan, in 1945. In a history of human civilization, it was as a 2nd sun as it generated radiations equivalent to those of sun with vas change in environmental thermodynamics. The thermos means temperature and dynamics means motion, and coined the word thermodynamics. Origin of life has been because of alignment and association of nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), hydrogen (H2) gases and sulfur (S) together to form amino acids, proteins to compose life system. It was put forward by Stanley who at Chicago University, USA, in 1950s did successful experiment to prove that methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) gases with other gases form amino acids and proteins. The alignment and association of gases conserve energy in a form of molecules, which sustain life. Newton’s observation about falling of an apple from apple tree further emphasized key position of energy. Evolution of civilization followed by various experimental realizations about energy for construction of world famous pyramid at Cairo, Egypt. Thousands years old, the workers loaded heavy and bigger sized stones on wooden planks and did swim in river Nile for transportation to pyramid site. The energy has brought revolutionary changes in civilization like Chinese and Indian inks were prepared by burning the wood to convert it into the wooden coals which were converted into fine powder and mixed with mustard oils. Similarly Harrappa and Mohan Jodaro, century old big buildings were constructed following lock and key concept based on a socket and cone joints of bones of elbow and knees of human body. At countryside, for centuries, grandmother used to burn mustard oil with cotton wick through a capillary and collect soot on neat and clean metallic surfaces like on brass or ion, and applied in eyes for adsorbing a secretion. During stone and metallic ages of civilization, the stones were shaped up to different designs and used for hunting.

These forms conserve and liberate energies transforming from one form to another as burning of oil to soot. Egyptians understood thermodynamics in a better way as they knew pushing heavy wooden planks on water surface reduces frictional forces and minimum human energy was needed for transportations. During Stone Age, the stones were shaped up to different sizes to manifolds the impulse for hunting. The water potential was noticed centuries ago and dams were constructed at Mississippi and Niles to make water falls for rotating turbine to generate electricity and irrigational works.

Paddling of cycle, letter typing machines, bull carts, churners (for churning curd to whey), horse carts, swing machines, ships were operated manually and best form of human energy conversion. The machine were run with human energy in fact if we go deeper, the human energy harnessed from food is partly stored in muscles and was used for operating the machines. Similarly levers were made which were very effective to economize the human energy for example the rollers were not pushed from back but were pulled forwards from front to minimize the human energy consumption. These scientific developments were revolved around a energy conversion from one form to another and termed as thermodynamic by Joule Thompson, Carnot and Cannon Rumford in 18th countries. Now the thermodynamics is an indispensable part of the human sciences and civilizations. In ancient times the major cities were established at the banks of rivers, due to easier transportation and as sources of water for drinking, irrigation, cottage industries. River Nile in African countries is considered highly revered and is boon to Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia and Nigeria etc. In India, rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Sarswati etc. were taken in very high esteem and cities like Delhi at bank Yamuna, Allahabad at Trivani or Pragraj, kolkata at river Hugly, Mumbai and Madras are at coastal areas. The energy is understood as thermodynamics. During British India various dams for energy harnessing were constructed like Tungbhadra dam at Krishna-Cavery, Rihand, Hirakund, Nagarjun Sagar at Krishna River, Cauvery, Periyar, Ramagundam, Bhakra Nangal, and Salal project at Chenab River. Theses were eco-friendly techniques with no pollution hazards. The replacement of cycle, bull cart and horse carts by engine run motors are emitting tone and tones of CO, CO2, NO, NO2, NO3, SO2, SO3, polluting gases causing global warming.

Thermodynamics a boon:

Liberation of calories from food is well known and establish q = DE + PDV, a first law of thermodynamics. The q is heat, DE liberated energy, P pressure and DV volume change when food is digested in body. Putting no volume and pressure change the q = DE exists which decides an intake of food. Concept of eating jugglery after lunch and dinner for intake of iron and other useful vitamins is centaury old in Indian society. By practice our ancestors carried forward this tradition generation to generation, the families who used to stick to a concept of “as you eat so you reap” leads to have sound mind in sound body. The traditions of wearing types of clothes are monitored by the thermodynamics and illuminate the human side of science. Newton’s observation of falling of apple from tree to earth was based on potential energy due to height. A matter energy-relation fascinated Einstein to make nuclear bomb. Weather forecasting is a big thermodynamics, where moistures and pressure gradient are basic parameters. In villages, people still guess in advance about a rainfall by watching the movement of ants and curtains birds. The ants very accurately sense a change in humidity and start taking out their eggs from their underground nests. Similarly the tailor birds start making nests at heighted trees. The villagers guess that increases in humidity forecasts a rainfall in coming days.

During heating, the milk boils out of a heating vessel while water does not this is due to a layer formation of a fat of the milk on upper surface on heating because of low density. The layer thickens acts as cover to push back the milk vapors and kinetic energy of the milk molecules get accumulated and a state comes when the layer can not bear with the internal energy DE. It suddenly bursts out with large amount of the milk but water heating simply breaks its hydrogen bonds.

Who lays down its Foundation:

James Watt, a naughty boy, in 1750 noticed experimental relevance of thermodynamics with uplifting of a lid of kettle being used for boiling water for cooking the vegetable. Watt coined the word horsepower as horses powered water pumps in mines and laid down a foundation of railway engines. In 1799, Humphry Davy melted ice by rubbing two ice cubs together. Latter in 1824, Sadi Carnot and Cannon Ford, observed generation of heat when iron screw was used to make hole in wooden logs. It was supported by count Rumford for boring cannon experiment in 18th and early 19th century. The handle of a screw was rotated manually putting mechanical energy to work. Partly it evolved heat during process, later on the ideas of Watt, Carnot and Ford laid down a foundation of first law of thermodynamics as q = DE+PDV.  The q is heat contents, the DE internal energy1 and the PDV a mechanical work done by or on the system. It successfully converts mechanical energy into the electrical. Benjamin Thompson in 1790’s, for measuring the power of light coined the word candlepower for candlelight as standard. Similarly James Joule in 1840’s gave the Joule as standard unit for energy measurement2, which is still in use. There are several other discoveries where our ancestors developed like fire which burnt by rubbing dried wooden logs that generates fire by friction3.

Description:

 Real meaning of thermodynamics is to achieve the best equilibrium among the pressure, temperatures, mass and energy. However its real meaning could be understood by several states of the water, these are most useful example in society. At low temperature the liquid water is solid and referred to as ice while at optimum temperature is liquid state and at higher temperature i.e. 1000C the gaseous form (vapor). The vapor is powerful to generate electricity by turbine at thermal power stations. The windmills for centuries have been the most traditional power in villages for pumping out the water from the deep grounds. The air pressure for centuries is being used as a big potential by farmers to separate out the food grains from the straw of the wheat crops. In 18th centuries the watermills were emerged as a powerful source of energy from turbine attached directly to a axle fitted with grinding stones to grind wheat, maize, gram and other food grains into flour. At higher altitude the pressure is low hence cooking of vegetables takes longer time and more fuel. Training area of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) Utterkashi is at very high altitudes, I personally observed that the cooking of rice or any food item takes longer time. In 1996, I have attended one month mountaineering course and studied this phenomenon. In general, the ladies used to wet solid grains of grams, soyabeans, peas etc, and spices in fresh and clean water before 4 to 5 hrs of cooking. This process was well known by our forefathers/ancestors. They were aware about a significance of thermodynamics. Hence used to wet the food grains in water prior cooking. It is time saving device and enriching the food in nutrients. It saves lot of fuels, and depicts that the wet food grains take comparatively less time in cooking and saves the fuel. The calorie of the 1g mol of the butane is -687.982 K calorie mol-1, and of methane –191.800 K calorie mpl-1 thus the total time 123-65 = 58 min are saved. This saves a lot of gas and the time in kitchen.

Thermodynamics for natural events:

The wetting concept of dried grains must be popularized in the society in interest of health and economic reasons. The rain is a best example of thermodynamics, the water vapors from south India to North from the oceans of Hind and Arabian oceans, and from bay of Bengal gets transported to North to fill the deficiency of the water moistures at the North India. This process is spontaneous or the natural one and is closely associated with the thermodynamics. The gallons and gallons of the water are being transported to North India through open sky. Evaporation of water moisture from the leaves of trees, herbs and shrubs do add some moisture to the amount of the already water vapor. This process of the thermodynamics highlights contributions of the trees. The society must encourage tree plantation to maintain the equilibrium and ecosystems. The learners can understand the meaning and worth of non-equilibrium system. The pressure gradient causes the energy gradient, and is calculated with DG = -2.303RT log K. The DG is free energy, K is equilibrium constant, the K= p2/p1, the p1 water vapor pressure at southern India and the p2 at the northern. At northern the vapor pressure is lower than that of the southern. The pressure moves from south to north India and could be equated with kinetics of reactions where the reactants are decomposed with time and rate of reaction is determined. A state is reached where the systems are equilibrated with respect to the concentration of the reactants. The rate constant K is as p1 at southern Û p2 at northern, and K = P2/P1. The DG is free energy, and a working capacity of environment due to pressure or moisture gradients. This clarifies the concept of Gibbs free energy, for example if the P1 = 1.5 bar and P2 = 1.0 bar, the log K = 0.17609 and the amount of DG = -1005.22 Joule mol-1kelvin-1. This is the energy, which is being used to push up the water vapor to northern India. The 1005.22 Joule mol-1kelvin-1 is being used till the P1 = P2, at this condition the K=1 and the log K=0, and the DG=0. This predicts that the movements of the water vapors are stabilized and condensation is started in a form of clouds with transition of phase. And after some time it falls in the form of rains. For farmers the thermodynamics has special significance. For example when high-pressure difference is there the storms occur that distribute the seeds of the herbal plants and other useful trees.

There are 4 seasons and the seed germination is temperature sensitive, the wheat, maize, guar gum, pulses, oil seeds etc. are sown at an optimum temperature with some moisture contents. The intelligent farmers generally wet the seed of crops overnight before sowing. It enhances the moisture contents in the seed for quicker and healthy germination. This makes a better understanding of the thermodynamic applications in farming. The plants show much growth in rainy seasons due to water in plenty. The artificial thermodynamic conditions are being generated for growing of the seeds and flowering so that fresh fruits can be had at any seasons. For example at Tamil Naidu the mango plants give fruits in all seasons, as it is coastal area where almost same temperature prevails. Human thermodynamics, the sweating in very useful phenomenon and is closely related to the human body. Due to sweating several harmful toxins come out of the body. The living in air condition (AC) is harmful to the body because the toxins get accumulated in the body and accumulation in excess causes sudden disease. Similarly other way round is also beneficial for example in winter seasons the people rub their hands to generate heat due to friction, and expose minimum surface of body to the environments to prevent dissipation of heat of the body. 

Currently, the thermodynamics is being defaced or deformed at domestic levels for example most of the ladies cook the food and for the time being store in freezes to prevent it from spoiling. It is OK that it protects the food for time being but heating eatable again and again is not good and destroys the calorie value. In general, overheating decompose and denature the food items. Some of the valuable vitamins and other chemicals get lost in heating process as vitamin C and iodine get vaporized. Overheating of the milk loses the vitamin C, similarly at kitchen ladies use oil for cooking the food, they dip the processed or knitted flour in hot oil. The used oil after cooking the food is stored and reused for further cooking. The oil after heating several times gets saturated whose intake in body along food is harmful.

The farmers do irrigate the crops for water and softening the soil for a growth of the roots and a use of earthen pots for cooling the water in summer is century old. In village is highly beneficial, this is natural cooler and do not cause any disease. There is a shortage of the electricity to run the electric coolers.

The thermodynamics is playing a glaring role in vehicular traffic, air and waterways. Too much friction between the road and outer surface of the wheels at the roads do cause some heat and wastage of the energy at roads and more fuel is used to cop up this effect. Air-cooling is most useful for dissipating the heat from oil engines during work. There are some demerits of the thermodynamics as global warming, air pollution. But the wonderful aspect of the thermodynamics is to generate electricity due the to temperature difference in water with depth of the oceans. This is called as OTEC i.e. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion as at 4 to 8 feet deep water the temperature is lower (about 10 to 150C) while at upper surface is very high (about 350C). This difference develops the temperature gradients, thus a machine made up of metallic pipes of about 1 to 2 feet inner diameter is made in a square shape. Inside pipes, at their each corner a turbine is fitted and a volatile gas like ammonia or propane is filled inside the pipes, which due to temperature gradient runs from a high temperature to a lower. The gas on the way strikes the turbines where the latter are rotated and mechanical energy is converted into the electrical energy with suitable electric circuits. The thermodynamics is applicable to human anger as human anger is an adiabatic process. If the heat of the human is quickly dissipated, the anger of the person is cooled down and the person becomes normal. Currently Survismeter and econoburette are invented from Indian soil for saving energy and resources.

Conclusion: The best use of thermodynamic processes draws manifold benefits to our society and maintains the healthy ecosystem. This article contains a very primitive and useful science that has been enriching our civilization. The energy is still in great demand and a key for all round developments. There is an urgent need to pay attention on the trivial methods and concepts and perceptions dealing with energies, as the young minds can accelerate and develop some new dimension of science that can boost up our quality of life. There are many areas and works where least scientific attentions are paid because careful execution of any thing would up ridge some new thoughts.

References:

1. Man Singh and Sanjay Kumar, J. Appl. Sci., 93, 47-55, 2004.
2. Man Singh, J. Ind. Chem. Soc. 78, August 2001, 397-402.
3. Man Singh, J. Ind. Chem. Soc.  80, July 2003, 704-706.

About the Author

Dr.Man Singh, associate prof. physical chemistry, is working on molecular features of dendrimers and supramolecues, their surface area, wetting coefficents, interaction dynamics.

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