Thermodynamic Potential: Fundamental Functions Of Thermodynamics

The concept of thermodynamic potentials was introduced by Pierre Duhem in 1886. Josiah Willard Gibbs in his papers used the term fundamental functions . Thermodynamic potential have the dimensions of energy. Therefore, they are used to measure the energy of a system in terms of various variables because often we can only measure certain properties of the system, not all. For example, we can know the pressure and temperature of the system but not the volume or entropy. In this article, we will learn about thermodynamic potential / fundamental functions in detail. The thermodynamic potential or fundamental functions allow us to measure more state variables of the system. Thermodynamic Potentials In thermodynamics, thermodynamic potentials are parameters associated with a thermodynamic system and have the dimensions of energy. Thermodynamic potential/ fundamental functions are scalar quantities used to represent the thermodynamic state of a system. ...