Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Updated on June 01, 2024Intensive and extensive properties are characteristics used to describe the physical properties of substances in the fields of physics and chemistry. The terms intensive and extensive were first described by physicist Richard C. Tolman in 1917.
Intensive properties are those that do not depend on the amount of substance present. Examples include temperature, density, and color. These characteristics remain constant regardless of the quantity of the substance.
Extensive properties, on the other hand, do depend on the amount of substance present. Examples include mass, volume, and energy. These properties change as the quantity of the substance changes.
Here's a look at what intensive and extensive properties are, examples of them, and how to tell them apart.
Intensive properties are bulk properties, which means they do not depend on the amount of matter that is present. Examples of intensive properties include:
Each of these qualities remains the same for a substance no matter its quantity. Regardless of whether you have two or 2,000 liters of water, for example, the boiling point will always remain 100 degrees Celsius. Intensive properties can be used to help identify a sample because these characteristics do not depend on the amount of sample, nor do they change according to conditions.
Extensive properties do depend on the amount of matter that is present. An extensive property is considered additive for subsystems. Examples of extensive properties include:
The ratio between two extensive properties is an intensive property. For example, mass and volume are extensive properties, but their ratio (density) is an intensive property of matter.
While extensive properties are great for describing a sample, they aren't very helpful in identifying it because they can change according to sample size or conditions.
One easy way to tell whether a physical property is intensive or extensive is to take two identical samples of a substance and put them together. If this doubles the property (e.g., twice the mass, twice as long), it's an extensive property. If the property is unchanged by altering the sample size, it's an intensive property.
Understanding whether a property is intensive or extensive is crucial for characterizing and identifying substances accurately in science.
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "The Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties." ThoughtCo, Jun. 1, 2024, thoughtco.com/intensive-vs-extensive-properties-604133. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2024, June 1). The Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/intensive-vs-extensive-properties-604133 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "The Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/intensive-vs-extensive-properties-604133 (accessed September 8, 2024).
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