Article
Article
Free energy
Article By:
Barger, Vernon D. Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
Last reviewed:January 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.271300
Show previous versions
- Free energy, published June 2020:Download PDF
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
In thermodynamics, the amount of useful work that can be extracted from a closed thermodynamic system. The Helmholtz free energy applies to a process that takes place at a constant temperature T (isothermal process). The Gibbs free energy applies to a process that occurs at a constant pressure P (isobaric process). Correspondingly, two types of thermodynamic potential are introduced and defined below. See also: Energy; Heat; Heat capacity; Physics; Pressure; Temperature; Thermochemistry; Work
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
