Consider a system of gas exists in a cylinder. The piston consists of many very small pieces of weights. Initially system is in an equilibrium state. When the gas system is isolated, the weights on piston are removed one by one slowly, at any instant of upward travel of the piston. So every state passes through by the system will be in an equilibrium state. Thus the system passes through the locus of all equilibrium points. This infinitely slow system is a quasi-static process. If the same small weights are now placed slowly one by one on top of the piston then the process will reverse in the same manner. When a process is processing in such a way that system will be remained infinitesimally close with equilibrium state at each time, such process will be termed as quasi static process or quasi equilibrium process. In simple words, we can say that if system is going under a thermodynamic process through succession of thermodynamic states and each state is equilibrium state th
The two systems are said to be in thermodynamic equilibrium with each other when they are in mechanical, chemical and thermal equilibrium with each other. Here are various types of equilibrium and the conditions for thermodynamic equilibrium of the system. Thermodynamic Equilibrium Defined Let us suppose that there are two bodies at different temperatures, one hot and one cold. When these two bodies are brought in physical contact with each other, temperature of both the bodies will change. The hot body will tend to become colder while the cold body will tend to become hotter. Eventually both the bodies will achieve the same temperatures and they are said to be in thermodynamic equilibrium with each other. In an isolated system when there is no change in the macroscopic property of the system like entropy, internal energy etc, it is said to be in thermodynamic equilibrium. The state of the system which is in thermodynamic equilibrium is determined by intensive properties such a