Intensive and Extensive Properties of Matter - Introduction, Examples, Properties, FAQs

Intensive and Extensive Properties of Matter - Introduction, Examples, Properties, FAQs

Team Careers360Updated on 02 Jul 2025, 04:35 PM IST

Introduction

The two types of physical properties of matter are intensive and extensive properties. A physical attribute, on the other hand, is one that can be observed and quantified without altering the sample's chemical composition. Richard C. Tolman, a physical chemist and physicist, created the phrases "intensive" and "extensive" in 1917. Here's a rundown of what intensive and extensive qualities are, as well as instances of each type and how to distinguish between them.

Thermodynamic properties are defined as characteristics of a system that can be used to specify the state of the system. A material's thermodynamic properties can be classified in a variety of ways. Thermodynamic properties can be extensive or intensive. Matter has either extensive or intensive physical and chemical properties. The amount of matter being weighed affects a variety of properties, including mass and volume. The amount of matter present, for example, has no effect on density or colour.

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What is Extensive Property?

An extensive property is a property that is dependent on the amount of substance in a sample. Mass and volume are two of the many extensive properties. An extensive property of the system is determined by the scale of the system or the volume of matter in it. Extensive properties are those in which the value of a system's property equals the total of its parts' values.

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What is Intensive Property?

An intense property is a bulk property, meaning it is a local physical attribute of a system that is independent of its size or volume of material. Intensive properties are those that are unaffected by the amount of matter present in the system. Copper wire has a particular electrical conductivity, as demonstrated in the image below. The short part that extends out would have the same conductivity as the full long roll of wire seen above if you cut it off. The conductivity of copper is a feature of the metal itself, not of the wire's length.

Enameled-Round-Copper-Wire

NCERT Chemistry Notes:

Examples of Intensive Property?

The examples of intensive property includes:

  • Boiling Point

  • Colour

  • Concentration

  • Density

  • Electrical conductivity

  • Molality

  • Odour

  • Melting point

  • Magnetic permeability

  • Pressure

  • Surface tension

  • State of matter

  • Refractive index

  • Viscosity

  • Temperature

Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Property

INTENSIVE PROPERTY

EXTENSIVE PROPERTY

  • Independent property

  • Dependent property

  • No change in size

  • Change in size

  • Cannot be computed

  • Can be computed

  • Easily identifiable

  • Not easy to identify

  • Some examples are: Boiling Point, Melting Point, Viscosity

  • Some examples are: Length, mass, weight, volume, energy

Taking two samples of the same sort of matter and combining them is the simplest technique to determine if a physical property is intensive or extensive. The sample size has no effect on an intensive property. The density, temperature, and hardness of a tiny bit of matter are the same as a large amount of the same substance. An extensive property, on the other hand, is additive. This suggests that doubling the sample size doubles an extensive property. Doubling the sample size would make it twice as big, twice as lengthy, and so on.

Specific Properties

A specific property is a form of intensive property that represents the ratio of two extensive properties. Both mass and volume, for example, are extensive properties. Their ratio is density, which is both a specific and an intensive property. Specific volume (the reciprocal of density), specific heat capacity (heat capacity divided by mass), molar volume (volume per mole), and specific enthalpy are some other specific properties. Example: Density = Mass/Volume , where both mass and volume are extensive property and density is an intensive property.

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