Enthalpy: A Measure of Total Energy in a System

[boobybobble]

Hi, i was studying about enthalpy earlier and found its definition to be confusing

"Enthalpy is a measure of the total energy of a thermodynamic system. It includes the internal energy, which is the energy required to create a system, and the amount of energy required to make room for it by displacing its environment and establishing its volume and pressure. "

i don't understand the italicized part...how can internal energy create a system??

 

[Studiot]

Hello boobybobble, welcome to Physics Forums.

Your definition of enthalpy was a bit unusual, where did it come from?

In respect of your actual question this probably refers to the use of enthalpy in chemistry where there is a standard enthalpy of formation for every substance.
This is the energy required to combine the various constituent elements to form the substance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_enthalpy_of_formation

go well

 

[boobybobble]

Hello boobybobble, welcome to Physics Forums.

Your definition of enthalpy was a bit unusual, where did it come from?

In respect of your actual question this probably refers to the use of enthalpy in chemistry where there is a standard enthalpy of formation for every substance.
This is the energy required to combine the various constituent elements to form the substance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_enthalpy_of_formation

go well

thanks Studiot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enthalpy -->thats where i got the definition from

As for the link you posted, it elaborates on "enthalpy of formation", which is something like enthalpy of -evaporation condensation and blah blah...but I'm talking about the entity enthalpy itself, which is pretty confusing given the definition in wikipedia and a lot of other websites(and my book too).