An adiabatic wall prevents heat transfer. Two bodies at and can remain separated by a rigid adiabatic wall with no heat transfer, although they are not in thermal equilibrium with each other. An adiabatic boundary alone need not make a system an isolated system: a moving insulated piston can still transmit work. Isolation additionally excludes matter transfer and every energy exchange.
An adiabatic wall is a theoretical concept used in thermodynamics to describe a physical boundary that does not allow heat to pass through it. In other words, an adiabatic wall is perfectly insulated, preventing any heat transfer between the system it contains and its surroundings. In practical applications, adiabatic walls are idealizations, as no material can completely prevent heat transfer.
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