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Related Concept Videos

Control Volume and System Representations01:16

Control Volume and System Representations

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Two key frameworks are employed to analyze mass, energy, and momentum transfer: the control volume approach and the system approach. These frameworks offer different perspectives, depending on whether the focus is on a specific region in space (control volume approach) or a defined mass of fluid (system approach).
The control volume approach considers a stationary region in space through which fluid flows. This region is bounded by a control surface.  For instance, in the case of water...
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Estimation of the Physical Quantities01:05

Estimation of the Physical Quantities

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On many occasions, physicists, other scientists, and engineers need to make estimates of a particular quantity. These are sometimes referred to as guesstimates, order-of-magnitude approximations, back-of-the-envelope calculations, or Fermi calculations. The physicist Enrico Fermi was famous for his ability to estimate various kinds of data with surprising precision. Estimating does not mean guessing a number or a formula at random. Instead, estimation means using prior experience and sound...
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The Principle of Superposition and the Gravitational Field01:17

The Principle of Superposition and the Gravitational Field

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The principle of superposition applies to gravitational forces of objects that are sufficiently far apart. It states that the net gravitational force on a point object is the vector sum of the gravitational forces on it due to various objects. The principle helps calculate the force by listing the individual forces and then vectorially summing them up. However, it should be noted that the principle of superposition is not always apparent. In the presence of a second force, the first force could...
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Thermodynamic Systems01:06

Thermodynamic Systems

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A thermodynamic system is a set of objects whose thermodynamic properties are of interest. The system is considered to be embedded in its surroundings or the environment. The system and its environment can exchange heat and do work on each other through a boundary that separates them. However, the immediate surroundings of the system interact with it directly and therefore have a much stronger influence on its behavior and properties.
Consider an example of  tea boiling in a kettle. The...
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Entropy02:39

Entropy

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Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
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Entropy01:18

Entropy

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The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
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Updated: Dec 6, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
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Statistical physics approaches to the complex Earth system.

Jingfang Fan1,2, Jun Meng3,1, Josef Ludescher1

  • 1Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam 14412, Germany.

Physics Reports
|October 12, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Statistical physics and complex systems science offer new ways to understand and predict Earth system events like climate extremes and earthquakes. These advanced methods improve our ability to forecast disruptive phenomena.

Keywords:
Climate changeComplex Earth systemsComplex networkEarthquakeStatistical physics

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Area of Science:

  • Earth System Science
  • Statistical Physics
  • Complex Systems Science

Background:

  • Global warming, extreme climate events, and earthquakes pose significant risks.
  • Predicting these disruptive events is challenging due to Earth system complexity and nonlinear feedbacks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the application of statistical physics and complex systems science to Earth system science.
  • To highlight how these approaches enhance understanding and prediction of Earth system dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing concepts from statistical physics, including critical phenomena, network theory, percolation, tipping points analysis, and entropy.
  • Applying complex systems science techniques to analyze nonlinear feedbacks and interactions within the Earth system.

Main Results:

  • Novel statistical physics and complex networks-based techniques have advanced knowledge of climate extremes and earthquakes.
  • These methods have led to substantially improved predictive performances for Earth system events.

Conclusions:

  • Integrating statistical physics and complex systems science provides new insights into Earth system dynamics.
  • These approaches offer valuable tools for understanding and predicting critical events in the Earth system.