HELP: Legendre transform
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg5619] HELP: Legendre transform
- From: GB <berriz at husc.harvard.edu>
- Date: Fri, 27 Dec 1996 23:43:45 -0500
- Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
Hello. I understand the steps involved in taking the Legendre transform (often found in thermodynamics derivations, and not to be confused with the Laplace transform), but I have no intuitive feeling for what's going on. I.e., setting aside the formal manipulations, I don't understand what is the gist of Legendre's idea, and I don't think I could recognize unfamiliar situations in which taking the Legendre transform would be useful. Does anyone know of a Mathematica notebook that illustrates the Legendre transform and perhaps answers some of these questions? Thank you very much in advance for your help. Gabriel