What is the difference between equillibrium and homeostasis?

Question

What is the difference between equillibrium and homeostasis?

Answer 1

Equilibrium has different meanings in different branches of Science.If you are asking it in Biology then equilibrium is a state where there exists a mutual relationship beteewn plants and animals.Its just like a food chain where the balance in nature is constant.

Homeostasis is the property of either an open system or a closed system, especially a living organism, that regulates its internal environment so as to maintain a stable, constant condition.

Multiple dynamic equilibrium adjustments and regulation mechanisms make homeostasis possible. The concept was created by Claude Bernard, often considered as the father of physiology, and published in 1865.

Best Wishes :)

Answer 2

I thought that equilibrium is the bodies ability to be balanced. Homeostasis is where your body undergoes changes to keep things at the proper temp/ level/ etc. Homeostasis for example is the process that makes you shiver when you are cold or sweat when you are too hot. Good luck! Hope this helped!

Answer 3

Equilibrium is any state wherein the various competing influences are in balance. Equilibrium can refer to, among others, chemical equilibrium, force equilibrium and diffusion equilibrium. It can even refer to economic equilibrium, so it isn't confined to biology, chemistry and physics.

Homeostasis, on the other hand, is a capability of a system, especially a living organism, to regulate its internal environment so as to maintain a stable, constant condition. It is, in essence, the ability of a system to maintain equilibrium.

Answer 4

Equilibrium and Homeostasis are basically  similar in some what way. Equilibrium is the tendency of a certain body or figure to remain and managed in a balanced position. Whereas, Homeostasis really deals with the aspects of body functions within the human being. Homeostasis is the internal balance and maintenance of our internal body. That can deal with our body temperature, and or the metabolism. So basically, equilibrium is the balanced, and or fixed position of any particular thing. Homeostasis deals with an individual's internal body, but both equilibrium and homeostasis must satisfy the fact that, either the body or thing must be balanced or maintained............Hope that helped!!

Answer 5

Equilibrium is the tendency of any system to come to rest.

Homeostasis is life actively fighting equilibrium - maintaining a state that never quite falls to rest, until the lifeform is no longer alive.

Answer 6

All of these answers are essentially correct, but nobody gave the formal chemical definition of equilibrium, which is when all Gibbs potentials are the same and at their minimums in a closed system (equilibrium is the minimum of the Gibbs free energy of the system).  Homeostasis is active regulation of a system at a point that is not at thermodynamic equilibrium as defined by the Gibbs potentials.  

So, for example, if it is -10 C outside, thermodynamic equilibrium would be when your entire body was also at -10 C.  That would, in general, be bad.  So your body maintains homeostasis by shivering to keep its core temperature at somewhere near 37 C.  Your core temperature is relatively stable, but it's being actively regulated and it is not in equilibrium in a thermodynamic sense.  

All hail J. Willard Gibbs!