(A) A thermodynamic property that can be used to predict whether a process will occur spontaneously at constant volume and temperature. Helmholtz free energy A is defined as A = U - TS where U, T and S are the
internal energy ,
temperature , and
entropy . Changes in A correspond to changes in
free energy for processes occuring at constant temperature and volume. The sign of
Delta A is negative for spontaneous processes and zero for processes at
equilibrium .