Artificial Intelligence
Please fill the required field.

What is the difference between an extensive property and an intensive property? Give examples of each.


Extensive and intensive properties are two categories of physical properties in thermodynamics and material science, differentiated by their dependence on the amount of material present. ### Extensive Properties: - **Definition**: Extensive properties depend on the quantity or size of the material in a system. They change when the size of the system changes. - **Examples**: - **Mass**: The amount of matter in a substance; for example, 5 kg of water vs. 10 kg of water. - **Volume**: The space that a substance occupies; for instance, 1 liter of liquid vs. 2 liters. - **Total Energy**: The sum of all energy forms in the system, such as heat, kinetic energy, etc. - **Length**: The measurement of extent in one dimension, like a rod of 10 meters vs. one of 20 meters. ### Intensive Properties: - **Definition**: Intensive properties do not depend on the amount of material in a system. They remain the same regardless of the system size. - **Examples**: - **Density**: The mass per unit volume of a substance. For example, the density of water is approximately 1 g/cm³ regardless of whether you have a small cup or a large tank. - **Color**: The visual property of a substance does not change with the quantity. - **Temperature**: A measure of the thermal energy within a substance, which remains the same regardless of the amount. - **Pressure**: The force exerted per unit area; for example, the pressure of a gas remains the same regardless of how much gas is in a container. Overall, the distinction between extensive and intensive properties lies in their dependence on the amount of substance present.