Using the Equilibrium Condition to Solve a Simple Problem
Two identical metal blocks of mass M with initial temperatures T_{1,i} and T_{2,i}, respectively, are in contact with each other in a well-insulated (adiabatic), constant-volume enclosure. Find the final equilibrium temperatures of the metal blocks. (Of course, intuituively, we know the solution, T_{1, f} = T_{2, f}. However, we want to show that this arises naturally, though with some work, from the equilibrium condition, as we will encounter many problems, especially when we deal with mixtures, where our intuition will not help us identify the equilibrium state.)