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A1 - Exact and Inexact Differentials

Differential Equations

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31 views3 pages

A1 - Exact and Inexact Differentials

Differential Equations

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Mind Serenade
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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219

A1. E X A C T A N D I N E X A C T DIFFERENTIALS

This chapter presents a brief discussion of exact and inexact differentials.

A1.0 Contents

A1.1 The Equation of lntegrability


A1.2 The Exact Differential
A1.3 The Inexact Differential

AI.1 The Equation of lntegrabflity


Consider a thermodynamic function, U = U(S, V), where U and S are functions of
state. The total differential, dU, is then an exact differential. To show this, we set

dU = X ( S , V) d S + Y(S, V) d V (A1.1)~
where

OU] OU
X(S, V ) = ~ and Y(S, V ) = - ~ (A1.1)2
V

Now, if dU is an exact differential as asserted, mixed d e ~ a t i v e s do not d ~ e n d on


the order of differentiation. Thus

02U 02U
(A1.1)3
OSOV OVOS'

and it further follows that

ox(s,v)[ _ oY(s, v) ] (AI.1) 4


OV s OS v

The last equation is the equation of mtegrability. It must be satisfied, as it is here,


for the differential dU to be an exact differential. It thus constitutes a test for the exactness
of a differential.

A1.2 The Exact Differential


Let us test the relation

dU = T d S - PdV (A1.2)~
220 III. A P P E N D I C E S

for exactness. We now have X ( S , V ) - T, and Y ( S , V ) = -P, and thus Eq.(AI.1)4


becomes

OT OP
(A1.2)2
OV s OS

But this is the first of the Maxwell relations, Eq.(10.6h, asserting that mixed deriv'atives do
not depend on the order of differentiation. Thus the equation of integrability is satisfied.

AI.3 The Inexact Differential


Now consider the differential dU = dQ + d W where d W = - P d V and neither
Q nor W are functions of state. We wish to ascertain if

dQ = dU + P d V (A1.3)1

is an exact differential. To subject it to the test of Eq.(A1.4), we first express dU in the


form

OU OU
dU= dS + -oV dV (A1.3)2
~," S

and then substitute this into dQ = dU + P d V . The substitution yields

dQ = OU
+ P]dV (A1.3)3
OS v d s + [~ V
.

and comparison with Eq.(A1.1)1 shows that

OU ] (A1.3)a
x(s, v) = -~ v

while
OU
r(s, v) = -~ + P. (A1.3) 5

Thus
Ox [ 0 2U
(A1.3 )6
8V s I OVOS

and
A1. EXACT AND INEXACT DIFFERENTIALS 221

OY ! _ 02U cgP ! . (A1.3) 7


OS v OSOV + -OS v

Clearly, the equation o f integrabi[r is not satisfied and dQ is therefore an inexact


differential. To emphas~e this distinction inexact differentiaN are written in this text as 6Q,
6W, 6M, etc., instead o f dQ, dW, and dM, etc.

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