Chapter Three: The Maxwell Relations

Chapter Listing

HELP GO BACK! - Chapter Two: The Tds Equation

Maxwell Relations

Now you've completed chapters 1 and 2 of your quest, you must now use that to find all 4 of Maxwell's Relations. Only after this can you move on to the penultimate chapter. This chapter will be long and challenging, but you've come this far...

"FUN" FACT: Maxwell’s equation is unrelated to the Maxwell Relations, he just grouped other scientists’ work together and took the credit for it, which is:

The main skill you need for this is partial differentiation. Luckily there is a hack! The easiest way to visualise the partial differentiation is that the ‘d’ terms swap sides and become the denominator, and the rest stay the same.

It is easiest to just remember these equations, but here is the information to show you where they come from:

Internal Energy Relation:

Enthalpy Relation:

Congratulations! You're now halfway through Maxwell relations!

Now for these last two equations, you need to substitute using the TdS equations. Again, you need to be able to quote these, but it also useful to be able to derive these incase you forget!

Gibbs Helmholtz

And thats it! Make a note of all 4 equations, and take them with you as you continue your journey to the Clapeyron equation.

Chapter Four: The Clapeyron Equation