Thermostatics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The branch of thermodynamics that studies systems in equilibrium and the relationships between their heat, pressure and volume
2. The scientific study of thermal equilibrium, examining the stable states of matter and energy without considering how change occurs over time
3. A field within physical science concerned with equilibrium conditions of heat and energy in bodies and substances

Etymology: "Statics" comes from the Greek "statikos," meaning "causing to stand," from "histanai," "to make stand." In mechanics it names the study of forces on bodies that stay still. Adding "thermo-," from the Greek "thermos" meaning "hot" or "heat," gives a term for the same idea applied to heat: the study of systems that have settled into equilibrium, with no net flow of energy. The formation follows the pattern of "thermodynamics," which pairs "thermo-" with the Greek "dynamis," "force" or "power." The two terms are branches of one field, and the difference lies in focus. Thermostatics concerns states that no longer change, while thermodynamics also covers processes and how systems move between states.