Thermodynamics The guidepost of effective use of energy

The empirical theory of thermodynamic equilibrium states has guided engineers and scientists to ameliorate the use of energy resources during the past two and a half centuries. In this brief essay, I illustrate the great progress that has been made in designing and manufacturing engines for land, sea, air, and outer space applications, and contemplate the opportunity to use a novel theory of thermodynamics [1] that applies to any small or large system (such as one spin only, or one particle, or many constituents), in any state (unsteady, steady, nonequilibrium, different kinds of equilibrium, and stable equilibrium) so that energy may be used even more effectively.