Order a copy now   Download an abstract of this volume The Theory of Interacting Systems: Volume 2 CLASSICAL THEORY Something there is that doesn't love a wall... The paradox of thermodynamics is the need to reconcile the irreversible behavior of macroscopic bodies with the reversible mechanics of the microscopic particles that compose them. This paradox is compounded by the fact that current thermodynamics is not dynamic, so we are forced to encompass a changing world within a timeless formalism. An adequate account of macroscopic bodies requires a thermodynamics in space and time that is based in the particle mechanics and keeps account of the transfer of conserved quantities between them. Central to this effort is understanding the significance of boundaries between these bodies. Robert Frost's lines speak of the costs associated with the division of the world into parts. Niels Bohr examined its implications for what we can know and what we can say. These ideas are the starting point for framing a thermodynamics in space and time constructed out of the mechanics of the microscopic particles. © 2001, MicroAnalytix. Book covers, logo, and site design by Strongrrl.