Consider the First Law formula, dU=X+Y, where X and Y are
two familiar boundary indicators. To avoid pseudo-arguments I
am NOT going to call them heat and work. The corresponding
Martian words, "qunergy" and "wunergy", are less confusing.
Here is my two questions:
1) A cold plate located below a glowing infrared source is
declared to be a thermodynamic system. The U of the system
is increasing because its temperature is not as high as the
temperature of the source. Transfer of energy does take place
from the source to the system. Should this process be called
qunergy or wunergy? According to most textbooks it is
qunergy because it is dues to a difference of temperatures.
The familiar terminology is "transfer of energy by radiation."
Is this the X process or the Y process?
2) I suppose that most of us no longer consider X and Y to
be "forms of energy." The dU is a change in energy but X
and Y are something else. That is why I am referring to X
or Y as a "boundary indicator." Is this term acceptable?
Ludwik Kowalski