Intensive and Extensive Properties of Matter (original) (raw)
Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
**Intensive and Extensive properties are characterized as the physical properties of matter. **Intensive property is a property of matter that does not change with the size of the sample, For example: pressure, density, etc. **Extensive property is a property of matter that depends upon the amount of substance i.e. varies with the size of the material, like weight, volume, mass, etc.
In this article, we will learn about the intensive and extensive properties of matter, examples of extensive and intensive properties, and differences between extensive and intensive properties of matter.
Table of Content
- What are Intensive and Extensive Properties?
- Intensive and Extensive Properties in Thermodynamics
- Difference Between Intensive and Extensive property
What are Intensive and Extensive Properties?
Intensive and extensive properties are terms used in the field of physical science to describe different types of properties exhibited by matter. The terms intensive and extensive were introduced by Georg Helm in 1898, and by Richard C. Tolman in 1917.
The ratio of two extensive properties of a matter can be used to define an intensive property of that object. For example: the ratio of two extensive properties (mass and volume) gives density, which is an intensive property.
Intensive Property
- Intensive property of any matter is that physical property that does not change with the change in mass of the material or system.
- Intensive property is identifiable and helps in describing the matter.
- Intensive property is a bulk property that's why it does not dependent on the size of matter.
Intensive Property Examples
Examples of intensive property include melting point, boiling point, charge density, color, concentration, energy density, magnetic permeability, specific gravity etc. These properties of matter will not change with change in size of matter. The concentration of a liquid is independent of its amount, Similarly, the density of 500 ml oil is nsame as the density of 1 L oil.
Extensive Property
- Extensive property of any matter is that physical property of matter that depend on mass of the substance or system, and changes as mass changes.
- These properties are proportional to the size or mass of the system.
- Extensive properties are non-identifiable.
Extensive Property Examples
Examples of extensive properties are mass, length, volume, weight, size, internal energy, etc. These properties varies with change in amount of the substance. For example, Volume of 500 ml of oil will always be less than the volume of 1 L oil. Hence, volume is a extensive properties which increases as size of matter increases and it decrease as size decreases. Extensive properties are proportional to the amount of the substance.
Intensive and Extensive Properties in Thermodynamics
In thermodynamics, the concepts of intensive and extensive properties are crucial for describing and understanding the behavior of systems. Intensive properties in thermodynamics are those that do not depend on the size or amount of the system. Examples of intensive properties in thermodynamics include temperature, pressure, density, and specific heat capacity.
Extensive properties in thermodynamics are those that depend on the size or extent of the system. Examples of extensive properties in thermodynamics include internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, and volume.
Difference Between Intensive and Extensive property
The key difference between Intensive and Extensive properties of matter is illustrated below:
| Intensive vs Extensive properties | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basis of Comparison | Intensive Property | Extensive property |
| Definition | Intensive Properties varies with mass of matter | Extensive Properties does not depend on the mass of matter |
| Dependency | Its value is independent of the mass or amount of the substance. | Its value is dependent upon the mass or amount of the substance. |
| Calculation | Its value cannot be determined. | Its value can be determined. |
| Nature | It changes the internal nature of the substance. | It changes the appearance of the substance. |
| Examples | color, density, freezing point, boiling point, melting point, solubility, etc. | mass, volume, weight, internal energy, length, size, etc. |
Conclusion on Intensive and Extensive Properties of Matter
In this article we observed that we can define intensive and extensive properties of a matter. Intensive is a bulk property which does not changes with amount or size of matter meanwhile extensive properties varies with the amount or mass of matter. Both intensive and extensive property has several characteristics which is used to define several properties of matter.
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