zeroth law of thermodynamics

E844097

law of thermodynamics physical law

The zeroth law of thermodynamics states that if two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other, thereby defining the concept of temperature.

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All labels observed (2)

Label	Occurrences
Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics	1
zeroth law of thermodynamics canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T10147853 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: zeroth law of thermodynamics
Context triple: [The four laws of black hole mechanics, establishesAnalogyWith, zeroth law of thermodynamics]

A. third law of thermodynamics
The third law of thermodynamics is a fundamental principle stating that the entropy of a perfect crystal approaches zero as its temperature approaches absolute zero, forming a basis for absolute entropy measurements and low-temperature physics.
B. second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is a fundamental physical principle stating that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time, establishing the direction of natural processes and the concept of irreversibility.
C. Kelvin–Planck statement of the second law of thermodynamics
The Kelvin–Planck statement of the second law of thermodynamics asserts that it is impossible to construct a cyclic heat engine that converts all absorbed heat from a single reservoir entirely into work without any other effect.
D. Clausius theorem
The Clausius theorem is a fundamental result in thermodynamics that formalizes the second law by relating the cyclic integral of heat transfer over temperature to entropy, showing that this quantity is always less than or equal to zero for any cyclic process.
E. First Law of Thermodynamics
The First Law of Thermodynamics is the fundamental physical principle that states energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred, thereby conserving the total energy of an isolated system.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: zeroth law of thermodynamics
Target entity description: The zeroth law of thermodynamics states that if two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other, thereby defining the concept of temperature.

A. third law of thermodynamics
The third law of thermodynamics is a fundamental principle stating that the entropy of a perfect crystal approaches zero as its temperature approaches absolute zero, forming a basis for absolute entropy measurements and low-temperature physics.
B. second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is a fundamental physical principle stating that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time, establishing the direction of natural processes and the concept of irreversibility.
C. Kelvin–Planck statement of the second law of thermodynamics
The Kelvin–Planck statement of the second law of thermodynamics asserts that it is impossible to construct a cyclic heat engine that converts all absorbed heat from a single reservoir entirely into work without any other effect.
D. Clausius theorem
The Clausius theorem is a fundamental result in thermodynamics that formalizes the second law by relating the cyclic integral of heat transfer over temperature to entropy, showing that this quantity is always less than or equal to zero for any cyclic process.
E. First Law of Thermodynamics
The First Law of Thermodynamics is the fundamental physical principle that states energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred, thereby conserving the total energy of an isolated system.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (43)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	law of thermodynamics ⓘ physical law ⓘ
appliesTo	macroscopic systems ⓘ systems in thermodynamic equilibrium ⓘ
assumes	systems can be in thermal equilibrium ⓘ
basisFor	Celsius temperature scale ⓘ linked to: Celsius Fahrenheit temperature scale ⓘ Kelvin temperature scale ⓘ linked to: kelvin thermodynamic temperature ⓘ
category	equilibrium principle ⓘ
concerns	heat exchange ⓘ thermal contact ⓘ
contrastsWith	non-equilibrium thermodynamics ⓘ
defines	temperature ⓘ thermal equilibrium ⓘ
enables	definition of empirical temperature scales ⓘ use of thermometers ⓘ
ensures	consistency of temperature comparisons ⓘ transitivity of temperature equality ⓘ
epistemicRole	axiom for defining temperature operationally ⓘ foundational postulate of classical thermodynamics ⓘ
field	statistical mechanics ⓘ thermodynamics ⓘ
historicalNote	formulated after the first and second laws of thermodynamics ⓘ named zeroth law to emphasize its logical precedence ⓘ
implies	existence of a scalar temperature function ⓘ systems at same temperature are in mutual thermal equilibrium ⓘ thermal equilibrium is a transitive relation ⓘ
mathematicalForm	equivalence relation on thermal equilibrium states ⓘ
precedes	first law of thermodynamics ⓘ linked to: First Law of Thermodynamics
relatedConcept	equation of state ⓘ ideal thermometer ⓘ temperature scale ⓘ thermodynamic equilibrium ⓘ thermodynamic system ⓘ
relatesTo	first law of thermodynamics ⓘ linked to: First Law of Thermodynamics second law of thermodynamics ⓘ third law of thermodynamics ⓘ
states	if two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in thermal equilibrium with each other ⓘ
usedIn	calibration of thermometers ⓘ definition of intensive properties ⓘ temperature measurement ⓘ thermodynamic state postulates ⓘ