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Chemistry · Glossary

What is Intensive and extensive variables?

Also known as: extensive variable · intensive variable

Definition 7.2 University Chemistry — Year 1 · Chapter 7 — Describing a Chemical System: Extent, Activities, Q and K

A variable of state is extensive if it is proportional to the size of the system (mass, volume, amount of substance) and intensive if it is not (temperature, pressure, concentration, density, mole fraction). The ratio of two extensive variables is intensive.

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