Aristotle's ideas dominated natural philosophy throughout the Middle Ages, but by the end of this period scientists began to question the true nature of heat. Warm bodies, he believed, had more of this quality than cold ones. By the fourth century BC Aristotle (384–322 BC) began to interpret heat as a quality that could be added to matter in different quantities. The philosopher Empedocles (c.490–430 BC) considered fire one of the four basic elements, along with water, earth, and air. The ancient Greeks thought of heat as an actual substance. Historical Background and Scientific Foundations
Through its connection to the theory of information, thermodynamics is also a central part of computer science and globalized information systems such as the Internet. Thermodynamics also plays an important role in the study of such current problems as global warming, pollution, and increased demands for efficient energy. Instead of viewing the universe as a giant clockwork mechanism, it became more common to view it as a heat engine in which the conservation and transformation of energy determined the function of everything from atoms, molecules, and fields to chemical and geological phenomena, living processes, and possibly even the birth and death of the universe itself.
Beginning in the nineteenth century as the study of heat energy and transfer, thermodynamics established a new model for understanding the natural world.
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