Difference between first law of thermodynamics …

Basic idea:

First law: First law of thermodynamics is a version of the law of conservation of energy.

Second law: Second law of thermodynamics states what types of thermodynamic processes are forbidden in nature.

Content:

First law: First law of thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed.

Second law: It is impossible to construct a perfect heat engine or a perfect refrigerator. It is impossible to construct a perpetual motion machine. It is impossible to completely convert heat into work. Heat doesn’t spontaneously flow from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir. The entropy of an isolated system never decreases.

Uses:

First law: The equation; ΔU= ΔQ+ ΔW can be used to calculate the algebraic value of one quantity if other two quantities of the equation are known.

Second law: The second law can be used to calculate the maximum achievable thermal efficiency (Carnot efficiency) of a given heat engine.