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The Kelvin statement implies the Clausius statement

Proved
SecondLawThermo.clausius_of_kelvin

by Lucas · Oct 9, 2026 · Mathlib 0df444a (Lean v4.33.1)

carnotmathematical-physicssecond-lawthermodynamics

Throughout, Θ\ThetaΘ is a type of empirical temperatures carrying a linear order (s<ts<ts<t means the reservoir at sss is colder than the one at ttt), and a cycle is a finitely supported function c:Θ→Rc:\Theta\to\mathbb Rc:Θ→R: for each reservoir temperature ttt, the number c(t)c(t)c(t) is the net heat absorbed by the device from the reservoir at ttt in one complete cycle (negative when heat is rejected to it), and only finitely many reservoirs are touched. The work delivered in the cycle is

W(c)=∑tc(t),W(c)=\sum_{t} c(t),W(c)=t∑​c(t),

which is the first law for a device returning to its initial state. A set C\mathcal CC of cycles stands for the physically realizable ones; it is assumed to be a convex cone: 0∈C0\in\mathcal C0∈C, c+d∈Cc+d\in\mathcal Cc+d∈C (run two devices side by side), and r⋅c∈Cr\cdot c\in\mathcal Cr⋅c∈C for r≥0r\ge 0r≥0 (scale a device). A cycle is reversible when c∈Cc\in\mathcal Cc∈C and −c∈C-c\in\mathcal C−c∈C. A cycle operates between hhh and kkk when c(t)=0c(t)=0c(t)=0 for every t∉{h,k}t\notin\{h,k\}t∈/{h,k}. A Carnot engine between a hot reservoir hhh and a cold reservoir kkk is a reversible cycle operating between hhh and kkk with c(h)>0c(h)>0c(h)>0, c(k)<0c(k)<0c(k)<0 and W(c)>0W(c)>0W(c)>0. The efficiency relative to the hot reservoir is η=W(c)/c(h)\eta=W(c)/c(h)η=W(c)/c(h).

Statement. Let C\mathcal CC be a convex cone of realizable cycles admitting a Carnot engine between every pair of reservoirs at different temperatures. If the Kelvin statement holds for C\mathcal CC, then so does the Clausius statement:

Kelvin(C)  ⟹  Clausius(C).\text{Kelvin}(\mathcal C)\implies\text{Clausius}(\mathcal C).Kelvin(C)⟹Clausius(C).

This is one half of the article's claim that "the Clausius and the Kelvin statements have been shown to be equivalent": a device transferring heat from a cold to a hot reservoir with no other change can be combined with a Carnot engine so that the composite exchanges heat with one reservoir only and delivers positive work.

Preamble
import Definitions.Def_SecondLawThermo_Defs
import Mathlib

Formal statement
namespace SecondLawThermo

theorem clausius_of_kelvin {Θ : Type*} [LinearOrder Θ] (𝒞 : Set (Cycle Θ)) (h𝒞 : IsCycleCone 𝒞)
    (hCarnot : CarnotEnginesExist 𝒞) (hK : KelvinStatement 𝒞) :
    ClausiusStatement 𝒞 := by sorry

end SecondLawThermo
Source
Wikipedia, "Second law of thermodynamics", revision oldid=1378607758, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_law_of_thermodynamics&oldid=1378607758; sections "Clausius statement", "Kelvin statements", "Equivalence of the Clausius and the Kelvin statements"
Read-back

What the Lean code literally says, in plain math · Aristotle (Harmonic), the drafting agent itself; non-blind read-back

Disclosure: this read-back is NOT blind. It was written by the same agent (Aristotle, by Harmonic) that drafted these Lean statements, with full knowledge of the source text and of the intended meaning. It is therefore not independent testimony and must not be mistaken for an independent audit. Reviewers should check the Lean code against the source themselves.

Let Θ\ThetaΘ be a linearly ordered type and C\mathcal CC a set of finitely supported functions Θ→R\Theta\to\mathbb RΘ→R (each such function ccc assigning to a temperature ttt the number c(t)c(t)c(t), with W(c):=∑tc(t)W(c):=\sum_t c(t)W(c):=∑t​c(t)). Assume:

  1. C\mathcal CC contains 000, is closed under addition, and is closed under multiplication by every real r≥0r\ge 0r≥0;
  2. for all k<hk<hk<h there exists e∈Ce\in\mathcal Ce∈C with −e∈C-e\in\mathcal C−e∈C, e(t)=0e(t)=0e(t)=0 for t∉{h,k}t\notin\{h,k\}t∈/{h,k}, e(h)>0e(h)>0e(h)>0, e(k)<0e(k)<0e(k)<0 and W(e)>0W(e)>0W(e)>0;
  3. for every t∈Θt\in\Thetat∈Θ and every c∈Cc\in\mathcal Cc∈C with c(s)=0c(s)=0c(s)=0 for all s≠ts\ne ts=t, one has W(c)≤0W(c)\le 0W(c)≤0.

Then: for all k<hk<hk<h and every c∈Cc\in\mathcal Cc∈C with c(t)=0c(t)=0c(t)=0 for t∉{h,k}t\notin\{h,k\}t∈/{h,k} and W(c)=0W(c)=0W(c)=0, one has c(k)≤0c(k)\le 0c(k)≤0.

Both the hypothesis 3 and the conclusion are non-strict inequalities; the conclusion permits c(k)=0c(k)=0c(k)=0. If Θ\ThetaΘ has at most one element the hypothesis 2 and the conclusion are both vacuous.

Human review
  • Endorsed by Shuze Chen · Oct 10, 2026

    Confirmed by the moderator at approval.

  • Endorsed by Lucas · Oct 10, 2026

    Confirmed by the mission captain (proposal self-audit).

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