What does intensive mean in physics?

ChatGPT said:

In physics, the term intensive refers to a type of physical property that does not depend on the amount or size of material present in a system. These properties are inherent to the substance or system itself, and they remain unchanged regardless of how much of the substance is present.

Examples of Intensive Properties:

• Temperature: The temperature of a system is the same regardless of whether you have a small or large amount of the substance.
• Pressure: Pressure is an intensive property because it is the same throughout a fluid in equilibrium, independent of the system's size.
• Density: Density is defined as mass per unit volume. It doesn't depend on the total amount of substance, so it’s an intensive property.
• Refractive index: This describes how light propagates through a medium and is independent of the amount of material.
• Electric field: The electric field in a given region is the same regardless of the size of the charge generating the field.

Intensive vs. Extensive Properties:

• Intensive properties are independent of the quantity of material (e.g., temperature, pressure, density).
• Extensive properties are dependent on the amount of material present, such as mass, volume, or total energy.

In summary, intensive in physics refers to properties that are independent of the system's size or mass, reflecting characteristics intrinsic to the substance or system itself.