What the Earth’s core and rust have in common... let's talk energy dynamics

The heat given off by the Earth's molten core, and the gradual rusting of steel are all natural processes which can be slowed down, or speeded up depending on a variety of influencing factors, such as the chemical conditions of the environment.

Such processes are governed by the laws of thermodynamics, which is the science of how energy transforms through chemical reactions. This area of study began when we had to figure out how much energy we needed to generate from certain amounts of coal in the 1800s, with scientists such as Josiah