what is an equilibrium?

Answer 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.

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.

Hope that helps some. :)

Answer 2

Equilibrium is very closely related to equality.
In science, it is used to describe the state in cells when the inner contents of the cell is "equal" or the same as the outside.
For example, the same amount of salt is in the cell as outside the cell.

Equilibrium can be reached through several processes, whose names I forgot. (I think meiosis and mitosis might be some examples).

For more information, I would search google.

Answer 3

Equilibrium is the sense of balance present in humans and animals.

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

There's many types of equilibrium, biological, economic, musical, physical etc. It primarily means "a balance" though.

Answer 4

A condition of equilibrum in physics would be that the potential energy is the lowest. This is stable equilibrum (if you move the system from this state of equilibrum, it will return to it). There is also metastable equilibrum - if the system evoluates into one direction, it can come back to the state of equilibrum, but for other directions it cannot. The instable equilibrum is when a system that moves from the state of equilibrum, in any direction, cannot return to it

Answer 5

Equilibrium (systems), the property of an open system, especially living organisms, to regulate its internal environment
Genetic equilibrium, theoretical state in which a population is not evolving
Punctuated equilibrium, theory in evolutionary biology
Sedimentation equilibrium, analytical ultracentrifugation method for measuring protein molecular masses in solution
Ecological homeostasis, a property of some ecosystems
Chemical equilibrium, the state in which the concentrations of the reactants and products have no net change over time
Diffusion equilibrium, when the concentrations of the diffusing substance in the two compartments are equal.
Donnan equilibrium, the distribution of ion species between two ionic solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane or boundary
Dynamic equilibrium, the state in which two reversible processes occur at the same rate
Equilibrium constant, a quantity characterizing a chemical equilibrium in a chemical reaction.
Nernst equilibrium, an equilibrium in which an electrical force balances a chemical force.
Partition equilibrium, type of chromatography that is typically used in GC
Quasistatic equilibrium, the quasi-balanced state of a thermodynamic system near to equilibrium in some sense or degree
Schlenk equilibrium, chemical equilibrium named after its discoverer Wilhelm Schlenk taking place in solutions of Grignard reagents
Solubility equilibrium, any chemical equilibrium between solid and dissolved states of a compound at saturation
Thermodynamic equilibrium, the state of a thermodynamic system which is in thermal, mechanical, and chemical equilibrium
Economic equilibrium, condition in economics
Equilibrium income distribution
General equilibrium, branch of theoretical microeconomics
Intertemporal equilibrium, the assertion that the economy at any one time is in disequilibrium
Lindahl equilibrium, method proposed by Erik Lindahl for financing public goods
Partial equilibrium, special case of the general economic equilibrium
Quasi-perfect equilibrium, refinement of Nash Equilibrium for extensive form games due to Eric van Damme
Radner equilibrium, economic concept defined by economist Roy Radner in the context of general equilibrium
Sequential equilibrium, refinement of Nash Equilibrium for extensive form games due to David M. Kreps and Robert Wilson
Static equilibrium (economics), the intersection of supply and demand in any market
Sunspot equilibrium, concept in economics invented by David Cass and Karl Shell
Underemployment equilibrium, situation in Keynesian economics with a persistent shortfall relative to full employment and potential output

[edit] Game theory
Correlated equilibrium, solution concept in game theory that is more general than the well known Nash equilibrium
Nash equilibrium, kind of solution concept of a game in game theory involving two or more players
Symmetric equilibrium, equilibrium in game theory where both players use the same strategy in the equilibrium

[edit] Music
Equilibrium (band), German viking metal band
IX Equilibrium, the third LP by the black metal band Emperor
Equilibrium (record label), a Portuguese record label

[edit] Physics
Hydrostatic equilibrium, the state of a system in which compression due to gravity is balanced by a pressure gradient force
Mechanical equilibrium, the state in which the sum of the forces, and torque, on each particle of the system is zero
Secular equilibrium, a state of radioactive elements in which the production rate of a daughter nucleus is balanced by its own decay rate
Equilibrium mode distribution and equilibrium length involve light travelling in an optical waveguide or fiber.

[edit] Other
Equilibrium (2002 film), science fiction film
"Equilibrium" (DS9 episode), episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Equilibrium point, node in mathematics
Patterson equilibrium, theory used in highway traffic modelling, air-traffic modelling, business modelling, and electrical grid operation
Reflective equilibrium, state of balance or coherence among a set of beliefs arrived at by a process of deliberative mutual adjustment
Social equilibrium, system in which there is a dynamic working balance among its interdependent parts

Answer 6

not sure what it means in physics but in economic 101 that's where supply meets demand.