Classical Thermodynamics A branch of physics developed in the nineteenth century that deals with the study of heat, and thus with the collision and interaction of particles in large, near-equilibrium systems. In the 19th century,

said to be irreversible, thermodynamics seemed to point to an "arrow of time" contrary to classical mechanics , for which all phenomena are reversible in time. By the end of the nineteenth century, it had been shown that classical

then turns to irreversible thermodynamics and theoretical biology. Thermodynamics is “the science of the possible” which prescribes how nature can behave. Classical thermodynamics , with its focus on systems in equilibrium, centers on

This view, rooted in classical physics, was carried over and applied to all macroscopic systems in nature, including those described by thermodynamics, geology, meteorology, evolutionary biology , and even those now studied using

Non-Linear , Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics A branch of physics developed in the latter half of the twentieth century that deals with systems of particles that are far from the near-equilibrium conditions studied in classical thermodynamics and

fundamental break with classical physics after general relativity came gradually over a thirty year period (1900-1930) with the development of quantum mechanics by dozens of physicists including Planck , Einstein , Bohr , Schrödinger,

to cosmology. Meanwhile, classical thermodynamics , developed in the 19th century, led to non-linear , non-equilibrium thermodynamics and its application to systems showing the spontaneous emergence of order from chaos (1960's - present).