Editing Isothermal process (section)

{{short description|Thermodynamic process in which temperature remains constant}}
{{redirect|Isothermal||Isotherm (disambiguation){{!}}Isotherm}}
{{Thermodynamics|cTopic=[[Thermodynamic system|Systems]]}}

An '''isothermal process''' is a type of [[thermodynamic process]] in which the [[temperature]] ''T'' of a [[Thermodynamic system|system]] remains constant: Δ''T''&nbsp;= 0. This typically occurs when a system is in contact with an outside [[thermal reservoir]], and a change in the system occurs slowly enough to allow the system to be continuously adjusted to the temperature of the reservoir through [[heat]] exchange (see [[quasi-equilibrium]]). In contrast, an ''[[adiabatic process]]'' is where a system exchanges no heat with its [[Surroundings (thermodynamics)|surroundings]] (''Q''&nbsp;=&nbsp;0).

Simply, we can say that in an isothermal process
* <math>T = \text{constant}</math>
* <math>\Delta T = 0</math>
* <math>dT = 0</math>
* For [[ideal gas]]es only, [[internal energy]] <math>\Delta U = 0</math>
while in adiabatic processes:
* <math>Q = 0.</math>