[Gumlegs]

Note this little sleight of hand in post 12:

The earth is not a closed system. Thermodynamic processes are used to explain ordinary physical laws. We can choose isolated cases to study closed systems.

· Reasonably, our solar system can be treated as a closed system for most ordinary thermodynamic studies.

Dishonest or dumb? I report; you decide.

[From many - one.]

I've decided. See my post 6.

BTW, you might want to check your ref in line 1 of your post.

[trebb]

Reasonably, our solar system can be treated as a closed system for most ordinary thermodynamic studies.

Dishonest or dumb? I report; you decide.

I have no background here, but what is the problem with considering either the solar system or the universe as a closed system? Does energy lost via friction and heat become unrecoverable?

[Wonder Warthog]

"Dishonest or dumb? I report; you decide."

Neither. "The earth is not a closed system" is correct and does NOT contradict the comment "our solar system can be treated as a closed system". Why---because the SUN is a major source feeding external energy into/onto the earth's "systems". However, the "solar system" has no such large external energy source.