Isolated System Definition in Science

If this box were an isolated system, light would be unable to enter or exit.
If this box were an isolated system, light would be unable to enter or exit. PM Images / Getty Images
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on December 07, 2019

An isolated system is a thermodynamic system that cannot exchange either energy or matter outside the boundaries of the system. There are two ways in which this may occur:

  1. The system may be so distant from another system that it cannot interact with them.
  2. The system may be enclosed such that neither energy nor mass may enter or exit.

Isolated System Versus Closed System

An isolated system differs from a closed system by the transfer of energy. Closed systems are only closed to matter, energy can be exchanged across the system's boundaries.

Source

  • Landsberg, P.T. (1978). Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics. Oxford University Press. Oxford UK. ISBN 0-19-851142-6.
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Isolated System Definition in Science." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-isolated-system-605270. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 27). Isolated System Definition in Science. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-isolated-system-605270 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Isolated System Definition in Science." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-isolated-system-605270 (accessed March 29, 2023).