🔎From Extensive Properties to the Continuity Equation

To establish the thermodynamic foundations of physical modeling by differentiating properties into two essential categories: intensive properties (like temperature and density), which are independent of system size, and extensive properties (like mass and volume), which are proportional to size and are additive. The concepts are then mathematically linked, defining an intensive property as the ratio of two extensive properties (e.g., density = mass/volume), which allows any extensive property ( $Q$ ) to be determined by integrating its intensive concentration ( $q$ ) over the system volume. This framework culminates in the derivation of the Continuity Equation $(\partial q / \partial t+\nabla \cdot \jmath=\kappa)$. This fundamental conservation law dictates that the change in a property's concentration over time ( $\partial q / \partial t$ ) is precisely balanced by the property's flow across boundaries ( $\nabla \cdot j$ ) and its internal generation or destruction ( $\kappa$ ), making it a central tool for modeling transport and conservation in physics.

🎬Demos

🫧Cue Column

From Extensive Properties to the Continuity Equation | Condensed Notesviadean on Notion