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Definition: equilibrium from Dictionary of Energy

Physics. a balanced state in a system; e.g., a condition in which the energy gained by a system from its surroundings is exactly in balance with the energy that it loses, irrespective of the passage of time.

equilibrium

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
state of balance. When a body or a system is in equilibrium, there is no net tendency to change. In mechanics, equilibrium has to do with the forces acting on a body. When no force is acting to make a body move in a line, the body is in translational equilibrium; when no force is acting to make the body turn, the body is in rotational equilibrium. A body in equilibrium at rest is said to be in static equilibrium. However, a state of equilibrium does not mean that no forces act on the body, but only that the forces are balanced. For example, when a lever is being used to hold up a raised object, forces are being exerted downward on each end of the lever and upward on its fulcrum, but the upward and downward forces balance to maintain translational equilibrium, and the clockwise and counterclockwise moments of the forces on either end balance to maintain rotational equilibrium. The stability of a body is a measure of its ability to return to a position of equilibrium after being…
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Full text Article Equilibrium

From The Human Body Book: An Illustrated Guide to Its Structure, Function and Disorders Full text Article Integrated Body
Micro-regulation In each kidney about one million...
The body’s cells and tissues are delicate and easily disrupted. They only function well if all aspects of their chemical and physical environment are continuously adjusted to keep them stable and in equilibrium. Several body systems work together to maintain a balanced environment, a process called…
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Full text Article equilibrium

From Routledge Dictionary of Economics
equilibrium
A state of balance such that a set of selected interrelated variables has no inherent tendency to change. In economics, a major example is the balance of the forces equating demand and supply. smith in his discussion of prices used the idea of market prices fluctuating around the natural price which…
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Full text Article equilibrium

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
state of balance. When a body or a system is in equilibrium, there is no net tendency to change. In mechanics, equilibrium has to do with the forces acting on a body. When no force is acting to make a body move in a line, the body is in translational equilibrium; when no force is acting to make the…
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Full text Article equilibrium

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
1 . The state of balance between opposing forces. Political equilibrium must be distinguished from political stability, in which there may be no forces tending to pull asunder, although it is one plausible theory of politics that it is the art of bringing about an equilibrium between forces within a…
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Full text Article Equilibrium

From Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics
Trajectories through time in generations...
A system is said to be at equilibrium if it is no longer changing. Equivalently, an equilibrium is a state at which the system will remain, baring any perturbations away from it. The stability of an equilibrium hinges on whether the system returns to the equilibrium state following a perturbation. A…
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Full text Article Equilibrium

From 50 Chemistry Ideas You Really Need to Know
Equilibrium
Some reactions head in only one direction, while others flip backwards and forwards constantly. In these ‘flexible’ reactions, an equilibrium keeps the status quo. Equilibrium reactions are found everywhere, from your blood to the fuel system that brought the Apollo 11 astronauts back to Earth. You…
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Full text Article equilibrium

From The Penguin Dictionary of Physics
The condition existing in a system of coplanar forces when the algebraic sums of the resolved parts of the forces in any two directions are both zero and the algebraic sum of the moments of the forces about any point in their plane is zero. If the system of forces is not coplanar, then the same…
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Full text Article equilibrium

From The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology
Basically the term is used as a synonym of balance , with several special usages: In physiology, the point at which opposing biochemical reactions are stable; homeostasis . In perception, the sense through which the body maintains a stable upright posture with respect to its centre of gravity. …
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Full text Article equilibrium

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
A condition in which all acting influences are canceled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system. Mental or emotional balance. Physics The state of a body or physical system at rest or in unaccelerated motion in which the resultant of all forces acting on it is zero and the…
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Full text Article general equilibrium

From Routledge Dictionary of Economics
The state of an economy in which all its markets for consumer goods, capital goods, labour services, financial assets and money are in equilibrium and the economy is in overall balance. The leading marginalist walras was the first economist to set out the conditions for general equilibrium. Today, …
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