The First Law of Thermodynamics Has Been Rewritten

• Researchers have made a breakthrough in applying the first law of thermodynamics to complex systems.

• The law is a bedrock of physics, but has long failed to describe systems that are out of thermodynamic equilibrium.

• The work could have applications in fields ranging from circuitry and quantum computing to space weather.

The first law of thermodynamics is undergoing a huge renovation.
A team lead by researchers at West Virginia University just released a paper detailing how the fundamental law can be applied more broadly than ever before—a finding that has the potential to rewrite the way we understand complex energetic systems.
The first law of thermodynamics is one of the bedrock laws of physics. Even if you’re not gung-ho for physics research, you might have heard the simplified version: energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be converted into different forms.
The First Law of Thermodynamics Has Been Rewritten