ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Thermodynamic equilibrium

Thermodynamic equilibrium is when everything is balanced and settled down. Imagine you have some cookies and milk. If you leave them together for long enough, they will reach a point where everything is the same temperature and nothing is moving around anymore. This is called equilibrium.

In science, this happens when different parts of a system are in balance with each other, with no net movement or activity between different parts of the system. For example, if you have a container of gas in a room, eventually the pressure of the gas will be the same throughout the container and the room, and nothing will be moving around anymore. This is called thermodynamic equilibrium - it means that the energy and movement of all the particles involved is spread out evenly, so there is no more change or activity.

Thermodynamic equilibrium is important in many areas of science, including physics, chemistry, and even biology. Scientists use it to understand how different things work together, and how to predict what will happen in different situations. It’s like when you learn how to balance a spoon on your nose - once you get it just right, everything stops moving and you’ve found thermodynamic equilibrium!