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Inexact Differential

An infinitesimal which is not the differential of an actual function and which cannot be expressed as

dz=((partialz)/(partialx))_ydx+((partialz)/(partialy))_xdy,

the way an exact differential can. Inexact differentials are denoted with a bar through the d. The most common example of an inexact differential is the change in heat dAdjustmentBox[-, BoxMargins -> {{-0.55, -0.13913}, {-0.5, 0.5}}, BoxBaselineShift -> -0.5]Q encountered in thermodynamics.

See also

Exact Differential, Pfaffian Form

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References

Bringhurst, R. The Elements of Typographic Style, 2nd ed. Point Roberts, WA: Hartley and Marks, p. 277, 1997.Zemansky, M. W. Heat and Thermodynamics, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, p. 38, 1968.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Inexact Differential

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Inexact Differential." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/InexactDifferential.html

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