Re: Entropy and states of matter

["Polvani, Donald G." <donald_g_polvani@MD.NORTHGRUM.COM>]

Thanks to David Bowman for his excellent post, but I am puzzled by the
difference between his requirement 1 (infinitely divisible) and requirement
2 (extensive).  What does "extensive" mean here and why isn't this
requirement satisfied if the first requirement is satisfied?

> First, the prospective quantity needs to be approximately infinitely
divisible
> in space (so that macroscopic differential relationships can apply
> to macroscopically infinitesimal-sized regions that are themselves
> effectively so large in size on a microscopic level that they are
> already in the thermodynamic limit.  Second, the quantity needs to
> be *extensive* at the level of the macroscopically infinitesimal
> regions defined in the first point.

Don Polvani
Anne Arundel Community College