Thermodynamics
Gas laws, heat transfer, entropy, and engine cycles
Brayton Cycle (Gas Turbine)
PV: isentropic compress, isobaric heat in, isentropic expand, isobaric cool — jet/GT core cartoon.
Joule–Thomson Throttling
Isenthalpic expansion: ideal gas ΔT = 0; toy μ_JT inversion for real gases.
van der Waals Isotherms
Reduced (P_r,V_r,T_r) curves; critical point; subcritical wiggle vs Maxwell plateaus (qualitative).
Bénard Convection (Rayleigh)
Heated-from-below layer: Ra vs Ra_c ~1708; schematic hex/roll pattern.
Black Body: Planck Spectrum
B_λ(λ,T); Wien λ_max ∝ 1/T; Stefan–Boltzmann M = σT⁴ and numeric ∫πB_λ dλ.
Rankine Cycle (Steam)
T–s with vapor dome + schematic P–v: pump, boiler, turbine, condenser; x₄ and pressure sliders.
Refrigeration Cycle (Reverse Carnot)
PV loop like Carnot but reversed; COP_R & COP_HP; T_C/T_H in K; symbolic fridge sketch.
Multilayer Wall Conduction
Three layers in series: R″ = L/k, q″ and U; T(x) sketch and preset plaster/brick/wool.
Adiabatic Cloud Parcel
Lift moist air: dry Γ, LCL, toy moist lapse; RH and cartoon cloud vs height.
Engine Cycles Compared (P–V)
One canvas: Carnot, Otto, Diesel, Stirling, Rankine sketch — switch cycles, same formulas as standalone labs.
Diesel Cycle (PV)
Air-standard: adiabat compress, isobaric heat, adiabat expand, isochoric out; η(ρ_c, β).
Maxwell’s Demon (Toy)
2D billiards + gate: fast |v| crosses; ⟨|v|⟩ left/right + Landauer note.
Leidenfrost Effect (Toy)
T_plate vs ~200 °C threshold: vapor gap and lifetime curves — pedagogical, not measured boiling data.
Peltier & Seebeck (Schematic)
Current pumps heat across junction; ΔT drives toy mV — same couple, two modes.
Joule Expansion
Ideal gas into vacuum: Q = W = ΔU = 0; ΔS = nR ln 2 when volume doubles.
2D Ising Model
Square lattice Metropolis: kT/J vs |m| and E; T_c ≈ 2.27; optional field h.
Lorentz Gas (Billiard)
Point particle specularly reflected from fixed disks in a box: chaotic paths and MSD growth toward diffusion.
Site Percolation (2D)
Square lattice occupation p: clusters, left–right spanning, p_c ≈ 0.593; rough box-counting D̂ on the largest cluster.
Bose–Einstein vs Fermi–Dirac
Grand-canonical occupation f(E) at the same T and μ: FD, BE, and classical Maxwell–Boltzmann comparison.
Ideal Gas Simulator
Bouncing particles in a box. See PV=nRT in action.
Gas Laws Interactive
Boyle's, Charles's, Gay-Lussac's laws with interactive piston.
Heat Transfer
Conduction, convection, and radiation with temperature gradients.
Phase Diagram
Temperature-pressure diagram with phase transitions.
Carnot Engine
PV diagram animation with cycle steps and efficiency.
Maxwell–Boltzmann Distribution
Histogram of |v| from Gaussian components vs the 3D Maxwell speed PDF; T and sample size.
Thermal Expansion
Linear ΔL = α L₀ ΔT; compare reference bar and heated/cooled length (schematic).
Brownian Motion
Heavy particle with random kicks and friction; trail and running ⟨r²⟩ vs time.
Otto Cycle
PV diagram: adiabatic compression/expansion and isochoric heat; η = 1 − r^{1−γ}.
Gas Mixing & Entropy
Two species separated then mixed; ΔS = 2nR ln 2 for equal volumes and moles.
Stirling Cycle
PV: two isotherms and two isochores; ideal η equals Carnot with a perfect regenerator.
Wet Steam (T–s sketch)
Vapor dome, horizontal isobar in two-phase region, quality x and superheat sketch.