9.4 The Second Law of Thermodynamics
In all the examples discussed in Section 9.3, the possibility of exact reversal depends on the possibility of conversion of heat of a single source directly into mechanical work without effecting other changes. Experience teaches us that such conversion is not possible; otherwise, it would be possible to construct a machine which would give continuous supply of work without any expenditure of energy which contradicts the principle of conservation of energy. This impossibility has been stated as a law known as the second law of thermodynamics.
9.4.1 Kelvin's Statement of the Second Law
It is impossible for an inanimate material agency to derive (continuous) mechanical effects from any portion of matter by cooling ...
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