Work (thermodynamics)

Type of energy transfer

Thermodynamic work is one of the principal kinds of process by which a thermodynamic system can interact with and transfer energy to its surroundings. This results in externally measurable macroscopic forces on the system's surroundings, which can cause mechanical work, for example to lift a weight, or cause changes in external electromagnetic quantities. Also, the surroundings can perform thermodynamic work on a thermodynamic system, which is measured by an opposite sign.

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