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Abstract

In mechanics, energy is defined as the capacity to do work, but in thermodynamics the energy E of a system is defined more generally as an extensive property (section 1.2) of the system, representing its capacity to change the state of its environment by interactions at the boundary. Being a property, energy is a function only of the state of the system. Normally, in thermodynamics, only changes in energy (that is ∆E) are considered.

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© 1984 E. M. Goodger

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Goodger, E.M. (1984). Energy. In: Principles of Engineering Thermodynamics. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86025-8_2

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