The distinction between heat and work: an approach based on a classical mechanical model

The distinction between work and heat is obvious in most typical situations, but becomes difficult in certain critical cases. The subject is discussed in texts on thermodynamics and has long given rise to debate. This paper presents an approach based on a mesoscopic analysis, using a simple mechanical model, in which bodies are made up of particles (representing atoms and/or molecules) treated as material points interacting with forces that obey Newton's laws. The sum of the work done by these microscopic forces is split into two terms representing the macroscopic quantities work and heat.