Do You Know the Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties? (2024)

Intensive properties and extensive properties are types of physical properties of matter. The terms intensive and extensive were first described by physical chemist and physicist Richard C. Tolman in 1917. Here's a look at what intensive and extensive properties are, examples of them, and how to tell them apart.

Key Takeaways: Intensive vs Extensive Properties

  • The two types of physical properties of matter are intensive properties and extensive properties.
  • Intensive properties do not depend on the quantity of matter. Examples include density, state of matter, and temperature.
  • Extensive properties do depend on sample size. Examples include volume, mass, and size.

Intensive Properties

Intensive properties are bulk properties, which means they do not depend on the amount of matter that is present. Examples of intensive properties include:

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

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.

Way to Tell Intensive and Extensive Properties Apart

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.

Do You Know the Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties? (2024)

FAQs

Do You Know the Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties? ›

Extensive properties vary with the amount of the substance and include mass, weight, and volume. Intensive properties, in contrast, do not depend on the amount of the substance; they include colour, melting point, boiling point, electrical conductivity, and physical state at a given temperature.

What is the difference between intensive property and extensive property? ›

Extensive properties vary with the amount of the substance and include mass, weight, and volume. Intensive properties, in contrast, do not depend on the amount of the substance; they include colour, melting point, boiling point, electrical conductivity, and physical state at a given temperature.

How to remember the difference between intensive and extensive properties? ›

Intensive properties do not depend on the quantity of matter. Examples include density, state of matter, and temperature. Extensive properties do depend on sample size. Examples include volume, mass, and size.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive variables? ›

Extensive variable depends on the size or mass of the system. Example: Volume, total mass, entropy, internal energy, heat capacity, etc. Intensive variables do not depend on the size or mass of the system. Example: Temperature, pressure, specific heat capacity, density, etc.

How does an extensive property differ from an intensive property quizlet? ›

An intensive property depends on the matter inside the sample such as its hardness, color, or melting point. An extensive property depends on the amount of matter in the sample such as its mass or volume.

What is an example of an extensive property? ›

Volume, size, mass, length, and weight are some examples of extensive properties.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive reading? ›

Intensive reading is about reading closely; it focuses on depth of understanding. Extensive reading is about reading a lot, typically from multiple sources; it focuses on breadth of understanding. They aren't mutually exclusive, and most prolific readers try to find a balance between the two.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive systems? ›

Methodology. Intensive farming focuses on investing a lot of resources and labor into small tracts of land in order to increase yield. Extensive agriculture, on the other hand, employs larger tracts of land and lower quantities of labor and resources.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive state functions? ›

Re: Extensive and Intensive Properties, and State Functions

Intensive properties do not depend on the amount of matter that is present, such as color, boiling point, density, hardness, etc. Extensive properties do depend on the amount of matter that is present, such as volume, mass, size, length, etc.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive studies? ›

Intensive research allows researchers to learn about their subject as the research progresses, but the findings may not be generalizable. Extensive research aims to find patterns across large populations but does not examine causal relationships in depth.

What are intensive and extensive methods? ›

An agricultural practice known as "intensive farming" uses a lot of labor and resources compared to the amount of land it occupies. Extensive farming is a farming method that involves cultivating huge farms with comparatively smaller inputs, such as cash and labor. Small but costly.

What is intensive vs extensive words? ›

Basically, if you are reading easy stuff quickly with very few unknown words, you are reading extensively. If you are reading difficult stuff slowly and having to either skip or look up many words, you are reading intensively.

Is work intensive or extensive? ›

Heat and work are independent of their physical properties. So, both are not considered as the case of intensive or extensive properties.

How to tell the difference between intensive and extensive properties? ›

An extensive property is a property that depends on the amount of matter in a sample. Mass and volume are examples of extensive properties. An intensive property is a property of matter that depends only on the type of matter in a sample and not on the amount.

What is the difference between extensive and intensive properties brainly? ›

Answer: Extensive properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter being measured. Intensive properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the amount of the substance present.

How many phases does a solution have? ›

Answer and Explanation:

Because solutions are hom*ogeneous mixtures, there can be only one phase in a solution.

What is an example of an intrinsic property? ›

Intrinsic properties are not dependent upon how much material is present. Melting point, boiling point, density, odor, and color are all considered intrinsic properties. Extrinsic properties do depend on the size of a sample. For example, mass, volume, and heat content are all considered extrinsic properties.

What is an extensive property of water? ›

The volume of a sample is an extensive property: 1000 grams of water takes up more volume than 10 grams of water. Mass is also an extensive property.

Is seconds intensive or extensive? ›

Therefore it is evident that time is an intensive property as it is independent of the system size.

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