Internal Energy

From ExoDictionary
Jump to: navigation, search
This definition page has been automatically generated.
You can help ExoDictionary by expanding, updating, or correcting it.


This autostub has not yet had its initial copyediting proof and may contain significant formatting and even factual errors. You can improve Exodictionary by cleaning up the page markup and verifying that the definition is correct and then removing this tag.


This autostub has not yet had its initial categorization proof and may be categorized incorrectly. You can improve Exodictionary by removing inappropriate categories and then removing this tag.


Internal Energy

</dt>
A mathematically defined thermodynamic function of state, interpretable through statistical mechanics as a measure of the molecular activity of the system. It appears in the first law of thermodynamics as

du = dq - dw
where du is the increment of specific

internal energy, dq the increment of heat, and dw the increment of work done by the system per unit mass. The differential du is a perfect differential. Its integral therefore introduces a constant of integration, the zero-point internal energy , so that care must be taken when absolute values of the internal energy are employed. [[/a>|/a> ]]

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use