ABSTRACT
There is a particular class of idealized processes which is of enormous value in thermodynamics—processes which are reversible. They are valuable because changes in the state functions can be calculated for any process using them. This chapter examines what reversible processes mean and how they are realized. The reversible processes are easy to recognize as there are never any finite pressure or temperature differences either within the system or between the system and the surroundings. There are two physical properties of a system that are of great use in thermodynamics which are easy to measure: the bulk modulus and the volume thermal expansivity.
