Three or four Laws of Thermodynamics?

[Ingemar]

Hello all,

I was hoping you could resolve a metaphysical problem--"If something is labeled as 'zeroth,' can it be enumerated?"

For all of those curious, these are the "three" laws of thermodynamics:

1:The change in the internal energy of a system depends only on the net heat transferred to the system and the net work done by the system, and is independent of the particular process involved.
2:(Kelvin-Planck statement): It is impossible to construct a heat engine operating in a cycle that extracts heat from a reservoir and delivers and equal amount of work.
(Clausius statement): It is impossible to construct a refrigerator operating in a cycle whose sole effect is to transfer heat from a cooler object to a hotter one.
3:It is impossible to reach absolute zero in a finite number of steps.

However, the wiseguys that made stated these laws made a boo-boo, and realized that these laws would fall apart unless there was a rationalization for thermometry. So they came up with a "prequel" law of thermodynamics: the ZEROTH LAW!!!

If system A and system C are in themodynamic equilibrium with system B, then systems A and C are in thermodynamic equilibrium with each other.

[Slater]

yes...? so?

Scientists name things weird names. Look up gluons, for example.

[Technomancer]

If something is labeled as 'zeroth,' can it be enumerated?"

Yes, zero is still a number and can serve as the starting point for counting. Here it is simply an index label attached to one of the elements of the list and the objects within that list exist regardless of the indexing scheme.

PS. The term 'gluon' actually makes a bit of sense when you consider what they actually do.

[Slater]

yes, that's what I was refering to. They make things stick together.

[uc pseudonym]

I also feel that a 0th law should count. Being placed on the number 0 is acceptable, and I feel it would only invalidate it for purposes of counting if it had to be placed on that number for a specific reason that made it unlike the other laws (nothing of the sort comes to mind at the moment). As it is, scientists could just as easily have made it the 1st and bumped the others down one number (not as easily, actually, but as legitimately), so there are still four laws, regardless of what they are numbered.

[TurkishMonky]

i always start counting at 0...comes from using computers too much...

[mechana2015]

I think its three and a correllary.