Isentropic expansion waves refer to a type of wave that occurs in compressible fluid dynamics, particularly in the context of gas dynamics and supersonic flows. The term "isentropic" implies that the process is both adiabatic (no heat transfer) and reversible (no entropy generation). ### Key Concepts: 1. **Isentropic Process**: An isentropic process is one in which the entropy remains constant.
Heat capacity is a physical property of a substance that measures the amount of heat energy required to change its temperature by a certain amount. It quantifies how much heat is needed to raise the temperature of a material based on its mass and specific heat capacity. There are two key concepts related to heat capacity: 1. **Specific Heat Capacity**: This is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin).
The coil–globule transition is a phenomenon observed in polymer science, particularly in the behavior of macromolecules such as proteins and synthetic polymers in solution. This transition refers to the change in the conformation of a polymer chain from a random coil (expanded, flexible form) to a globule (compact, more ordered form) in response to certain environmental conditions.
An isentropic process is a thermodynamic process that is both adiabatic (occurring with no heat transfer to or from the system) and reversible (meaning it can be reversed without entropy generation). In such a process, the entropy of the system remains constant. Isentropic processes are important in various fields of engineering, particularly in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. For example, they are used to describe the ideal behavior of processes in compressors, turbines, and nozzles.
Flory–Huggins solution theory is a model that describes the thermodynamics of mixing in polymer solutions and blends. Developed independently by Paul J. Flory and Maurice Huggins in the 1940s, the theory provides a framework for understanding how polymers interact with solvents and with each other when they are mixed.
Compressibility is a property of materials that describes their ability to change volume under pressure. Specifically, it refers to the measure of how much a given volume of a substance decreases when subjected to an increase in pressure. This property is particularly significant in the study of gases, but it can also apply to liquids and solids to varying extents.
In thermodynamics, conjugate variables are pairs of physical quantities that are related to each other in a specific way, typically in the context of work and energy interactions in a thermodynamic system. Conjugate variables often arise in the context of the first and second laws of thermodynamics and are fundamental to understanding the relationships between different forms of energy and the processes that occur in thermodynamic systems.
Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) was a French physicist, philosopher of science, and historian of science, known for his contributions to the philosophy of science, particularly in the areas of thermodynamics and the philosophy of physics. He is best known for formulating the Duhem-Quine problem, which highlights the complexity of testing scientific theories due to the interconnectedness of hypotheses and auxiliary assumptions.
Latent internal energy refers to the energy stored within a substance that is associated with changes in its phase or state, such as during melting, freezing, vaporization, or condensation. This type of energy is not immediately observable as a change in temperature since it is involved in breaking or forming intermolecular bonds rather than increasing the kinetic energy of the particles.
Thermodynamic activity is a measure of the "effective concentration" of a species in a solution, taking into account interactions between particles. It provides a way to understand how the presence of other components in a mixture influences the behavior of a specific component compared to an ideal situation, where components behave independently. In ideal solutions, the activity (\(a\)) of a species is equal to its molar concentration (\(C\)).
The Volume Correction Factor (VCF) is a coefficient used to adjust the volume of a substance, often liquids, to account for changes in temperature and pressure. The volume of liquids can change significantly with variations in temperature, and since many measurements (like those in the oil and gas industries) require accurate volume readings for billing and inventory purposes, it's essential to correct for these variations.
Johannes Diderik van der Waals (1837–1923) was a Dutch physicist and thermodynamicist best known for his work on the behavior of gases and liquids. He is particularly renowned for formulating the van der Waals equation of state, which describes how real gases deviate from the ideal gas law by incorporating the effects of molecular attraction and the volume occupied by gas molecules.
The term "mixed or dual cycle" generally refers to a type of thermodynamic cycle used in engines and power generation systems that combines two or more different thermodynamic cycles to improve efficiency and performance. ### Key Examples of Mixed/Dual Cycles: 1. **Dual Cycle Engine**: - The dual cycle (or mixed cycle) is used in some internal combustion engines and is a combination of the Otto cycle (which describes gasoline engines) and the Diesel cycle.
A CT scan, or Computed Tomography scan, is a medical imaging technique that uses X-rays and advanced computer algorithms to create detailed cross-sectional images of the body. It provides more detailed information than regular X-ray imaging by combining multiple X-ray images taken from different angles to produce a three-dimensional representation of the inside of the body.
Richard Mollier (1863–1935) was a notable German engineer and physicist, best known for his contributions to the field of thermodynamics, particularly in the study of psychrometrics and the behavior of moist air. He developed the "Mollier diagram," also known as the enthalpy-entropy diagram, which graphically represents the relationships between various thermodynamic properties of moist air, such as temperature, humidity, enthalpy, and entropy.
Werner Kuhn (born July 29, 1910 – died July 29, 1994) was a German chemist known for his contributions to physical chemistry, particularly in the areas of molecular theory and polymer science. He played a significant role in developments related to the understanding of polymers and their properties. One of Kuhn's notable contributions was the Kuhn length concept, which provides a measure of the size of a segment of a polymer chain that behaves independently of other segments.
Thermal stability refers to the ability of a substance or material to maintain its physical and chemical properties at elevated temperatures. It is an important characteristic in various fields, including materials science, chemistry, and engineering, as it determines how a material behaves when exposed to heat. Key aspects of thermal stability include: 1. **Decomposition**: Many compounds will break down or decompose when exposed to high temperatures. A material with high thermal stability will not decompose until it reaches the decomposition temperature.
**Thermodynamics** is the branch of physics that deals with the relationships between heat, work, temperature, and energy. It provides a macroscopic perspective on physical systems and allows us to understand how energy is transformed from one form to another and how these transformations affect matter. The fundamental principles of thermodynamics are encapsulated in four laws: 1. **Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics**: Defines thermal equilibrium and establishes temperature as a measurable property.
Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project
Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
Intro to OurBigBook
. Source. We have two killer features:
- topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculusArticles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
- a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
- a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.Figure 1. Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page. View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivativeVideo 2. OurBigBook Web topics demo. Source. - local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
- to OurBigBook.com to get awesome multi-user features like topics and likes
- as HTML files to a static website, which you can host yourself for free on many external providers like GitHub Pages, and remain in full control
Figure 3. Visual Studio Code extension installation.Figure 4. Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation.Figure 5. Web editor. You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.Video 3. Edit locally and publish demo. Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.Video 4. OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo. Source. - Infinitely deep tables of contents:
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact





