INTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE PROPERTIES Meaning and
Definition
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Intensive and extensive properties are two concepts used in thermodynamics and physical chemistry to describe the characteristics of substances.
Intensive properties refer to those properties of a substance that do not depend on the amount or size of the sample being considered. These properties remain constant regardless of the quantity of the substance. Examples of intensive properties include temperature, pressure, density, color, and refractive index. Regardless of how much of a substance is present, these properties will remain the same.
On the other hand, extensive properties are those properties that do depend on the amount or size of the sample being considered. These properties will increase or decrease proportionally with the quantity of the substance. Examples of extensive properties include mass, volume, energy, and enthalpy. If you double the amount of substance, these properties will also double.
To summarize, intensive properties are inherent characteristics of a substance that are independent of the quantity, while extensive properties change with the amount of substance present. Intensive properties help identify and describe substances, while extensive properties are useful for measuring and quantifying substances. Understanding the distinction between intensive and extensive properties is important for analyzing and manipulating substances in various scientific disciplines.
