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System and Surroundings

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:51 pm
by Shirley Liu 2I
If we can choose our object of interest as the system and "everything else" becomes the surrounding, then can the water in a bomb calorimeter be chosen as the system and then the bomb/oxygen part and the outside surrounding the calorimeter would be the "surrounding"?

Re: System and Surroundings

Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:55 pm
by Steven Garcia 1H
Hi!

Yes I think you’re thinking about it in the correct way. The system and surrounding concept is based on whatever the object of interest is. In the bomb calorimeter case, the solution or mixture within the calorimeter would be the system while everything outside the calorimeter would be considered the surroundings. This makes since when we make the connection that a bomb calorimeter is a closed system because closed system can exchange matter or energy with their surroundings! Hope this helps!