The laws of thermodynamics are fundamental for understanding the structure of matter and the transfer of heat. Remarkably they stand by themselves and have no need of any microscopic underpinning This point is often missed in treatments of thermodynamics which quickly move onto statistical physics and don't encourage physicists to develop their powers of thermodynamic reasoning.
The best account of thermodynamics I know of is given in Longairs book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theoretical-Concepts-Physics-Second-Alternative/dp/052152878X
Which then goes onto discuss how the attempts to model black body radiation broke down using classical physics thus paving the way for Planck and Einstein to introduce quantum mechanical ideas. It really is a fascinating story and shows that there is more to quantum mechanics than the development of Schrodinger's equation
In general terms a good overall book on Thermodynamics is the classic by Zemansky
Anyway thermodynamics has many applications Chandresekhar used it to work out the General equations of stellar structure without any need to know the internal structure of a star
Here is my tribute to Thermodynamics and I would encourage people to study it in it's own right
Thermodynamics
Three
laws oh so neat,
Describing
the nature of heat.
The
first says you cannot win,
You
wont get back more than you put in.
But
if it’s heat, there’s a permanent loss,
That
is only regained at greater cost.
Finally
there will come a great big chill,
Where all that there is, will stand still.
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