ENB205 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Kelvin, Phase Rule, Enthalpy
Document Summary
Intensive properties are those that are independent of the mass of a system i. e. temperature, pressure and density. Extensive properties are those whose values depend on the size of the system. Generally uppercase letters are used to denote extensive properties and lowercase letters are used for intensive properties. Extensive properties per unit mass are called specific properties. The number of properties required to fix the state of a system is given by the state postulate: the state of a simple compressible system is completely specified by two independent, intensive properties. A continuum is a continuous, homogeneous matter with no holes. The continuum idealization allows us to treat properties as point functions and to assume the properties vary continually in space with no jump discontinuities. This idealization is valid as long as the size of the system we deal with is large relative to the space between the molecules. Density is defined as mass per unit volume:
