Developing an Intuitive Understanding of Free Energy

• Hilton M. Weiss ^[1]
  1. [1] Bard College

     Bard College

     Town of Red Hook, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 78, Nº 10, 2001, pág. 1362
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • By considering macroscopic objects that are mobile--idealized grasshoppers on a golf green--we develop a simple model of a dynamic equilibrium that is governed by energy and entropy factors. This is done quantitatively by the simple counting of hoppers on the green and in the hole, and by seeing the changes in the results when a warmer environment causes the grasshoppers to move more vigorously. This simplified statistical analysis of such an easily visualizable model should lead to an intuitive understanding of the factors that control chemical and physical equilibria.