equilibrium








noun, plural e·qui·lib·ri·ums, e·qui·lib·ri·a [ee-kwuhlib-ree-uh, ek-wuh-] /ˌi kwəˈlɪb ri ə, ˌɛk wə-/.

  1. a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces.
  2. equal balance between any powers, influences, etc.; equality of effect.
  3. mental or emotional balance; equanimity: The pressures of the situation caused her to lose her equilibrium.
  4. Chemistry. the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction proceed at equal rates.

noun plural -riums or -ria (-rɪə)

  1. a stable condition in which forces cancel one another
  2. a state or feeling of mental balance; composure
  3. any unchanging condition or state of a body, system, etc, resulting from the balance or cancelling out of the influences or processes to which it is subjectedSee thermodynamic equilibrium
  4. physics a state of rest or uniform motion in which there is no resultant force on a body
  5. chem the condition existing when a chemical reaction and its reverse reaction take place at equal rates
  6. physics the condition of a system that has its total energy distributed among its component parts in the statistically most probable manner
  7. physiol a state of bodily balance, maintained primarily by special receptors in the inner ear
  8. the economic condition in which there is neither excess demand nor excess supply in a market
n.

c.1600, from Latin aequilibrium, from aequus “equal” (see equal) + libra “a balance, scale, plummet” (see Libra).

n.

  1. A condition in which all influences acting upon it are canceled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system.
  2. The state of a chemical reaction in which its forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates so that the concentration of the reactants and products does not change with time.dynamic equilibrium
  3. Mental or emotional balance.

Plural equilibriums equilibria

  1. Physics The state of a body or physical system that is at rest or in constant and unchanging motion. A system that is in equilibrium shows no tendency to alter over time.♦ If a system is in static equilibrium, there are no net forces and no net torque in the system.♦ If a system is in stable equilibrium, small disturbances to the system cause only a temporary change before it returns to its original state.
  2. Chemistry The state of a reversible chemical reaction in which its forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates so that the concentration of the reactants and products remains the same.

In economics, a state of the economy in which for every commodity or service (including labor), total supply and demand are exactly equal. Equilibrium is never actually attained; it is approximated by movements of the market.

A condition in which all influences acting cancel each other, so that a static or balanced situation results. In physics, equilibrium results from the cancellation of forces acting on an object. In chemistry, it occurs when chemical reactions are proceeding in such a way that the amount of each substance in a system remains the same. (See chemical equilibrium.)

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