Is Infinite Compressibility Possible in a System?

[ShadowDatsas]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that compressibility, generally tells how difficult it is to compress an object. Meaning, the higher the compressibility, the easier it will be to compress an object with a given pressure.

I was asked in my University to describe an system of infinite compressibility.
I think that would mean that the volume changes would be infinite with the exercise of least pressure. Does a system like that exists? I couldn't think of anything.

 

[rollcast]

2 things straight off the top of my head,

Black holes "theoretically" compress matter into a space of zero volume so you could say the compressibility is infinite in that system.

Ideal gases would also be infinitely compressible due their particles lack of volume. Though there is no ideal gas in real life.

So no real physical systems but those might help you a bit.

 

[256bits]

I was asked in my University to describe an system of infinite compressibility.
I think that would mean that the volume changes would be infinite with the exercise of least pressure. Does a system like that exists? I couldn't think of anything.

I don't know. Is that what infinite compressibility means? That one would not have to provide work to compress the substance? Gases are highly compressible but work is needed to compress. If you do not have to supply energy to the system as work, then the temperature would not increase? If you heated the system, what would the effect be then -would the pressure increase? Is the system entropy a constant? Can one consider space itself an infinite compressible system?

Just thought I would list some of the things your University might ask you, and you should have the answers to in your description of an infinite compressible system, and you are not left with a "umm uhh well uhh " answer.

 

[ShadowDatsas]

Well I found the answer today.
The answer from rollcast was wrong as I thought. He was talking about infinite density, not compressibility. Compressibility is the change of density with pressure, not the value of density.
In phase transitions, a system has infinite compressibility, because the changes in desinty are huge, while pressure remains stable. So partly, an ideal gas can be a system with infinite compressibility.

 

[PJC01]

I can provide a response to this question. Infinite compressibility is not possible in a physical system. This is because there is always a limit to how much a material can be compressed before reaching its maximum density. This is known as the close-packing limit and is determined by the physical properties of the material, such as the intermolecular forces between particles.

In theory, if we were to continue applying pressure to a material, it would eventually reach its close-packing limit and further compression would not be possible. This is because the particles would be in such close proximity that they could not be squeezed any closer together.

Furthermore, even if we were to somehow overcome the close-packing limit, the material would become so dense that it would collapse into a black hole due to the immense gravitational forces.

In conclusion, infinite compressibility is not possible in a physical system. While some materials may have high compressibility and can be easily compressed with a given pressure, there will always be a limit to how much they can be compressed.