Question

What is thermal equilibrium example?

Answer 1

We can define the thermal equilibrium by using the concept of temperature and explain it by giving some examples of thermal equilibrium. Temperature is defined as the degree of hotness and coldness of the body. It is the manifestation of thermal energy, present in all matter, which is the source of the occurrence of heat, a flow of energy, when a body is in contact with another that is colder or hotter. It is given by the zeroth law of thermodynamics.

Complete answer:
A state of equilibrium exists in a process when the rate of the forward process equals the rate of the reverse process. Thermal equilibrium obeys the zeroth law of thermodynamics which states that if two thermodynamic systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other.

Thermal equilibrium is by contacting two bodies which are at different temperatures, the one that is hotter yields part of its energy to the one with the lowest temperature, to the point where both temperatures are equal. The examples of the thermal equilibrium are as follows :

-When a person comes out of bathing, it is relatively cold because the body has entered into equilibrium with the hot water, and now it must balance with the environment.

-Adding cold water at a rate of hot water, where equilibrium is reached very quickly at a colder temperature than the original.

-When a hot cup of tea is kept under room temperature, then the heat gets transferred to the atmosphere with respect to time, till the temperature of tea and atmosphere is equal.

-When molten rock comes up from a volcano, it will give off heat to the atmosphere until the rock and the atmosphere are at the same temperature.

Note: We should not confuse thermal equilibrium and thermodynamic equilibrium. These are two different things. Thermodynamic equilibrium of a thermodynamic system is the properties of which do not change with time and that can be changed to another condition only at the expense of effects on other systems.