Thermodynamics Concepts

noun the process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temperature or of electrical potential between adjoining regions, without movement of the material

• The conduction of electricity through a metal wire is a well-studied phenomenon in physics.
• I don't really understand how conduction works, but I know it has something to do with heat.
• Dude, the conduction of heat in this pan is terrible - my food is taking forever to cook!
• The conduction of ideas through a community can lead to great innovation and progress.

noun a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as the degree of disorder or randomness in the system

• The concept of entropy is crucial in the field of thermodynamics.
• Entropy is like chaos theory but for science.
• Entropy is the sciencey way of saying things are all messed up.
• In a relationship, entropy can be compared to the gradual decay of communication and intimacy over time.

adjective Metastable is used to describe a state of matter that is stable but can change into a more stable state under certain conditions.

• The metastable state of the compound was carefully studied by the researchers.
• The compound is in a kind of unstable state that the scientists are looking into.
• The stuff they're testing is like on the edge, not quite stable yet.
• Her emotions were like a metastable equilibrium, ready to shift at any moment.

noun a noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'adiabatic gradient' is a noun because it refers to the rate of change of temperature with altitude in an adiabatic process.

• The adiabatic gradient is the rate of change of temperature with altitude in a parcel of air that is not exchanging heat with its surroundings.
• The adiabatic gradient basically tells us how temperature changes as you go higher up in the atmosphere without heat exchange.
• The adiabatic gradient is like the temperature change as you move up in the air without any heat sharing going on.
• Think of the adiabatic gradient as the temperature shift in a bubble of air as it rises up without interacting with its environment.