Equipartition Principles in Finite-Time Thermodynamics

Finite-time thermodynamics looks for the way of bringing a thermodynamic system from an initial to a final state, in a finite time. Usually a functional is extremized, e.g. the total entropy creation during the process is minimized. By means of simple electric circuits (with lumped resistors and lumped capacitors), we demonstrate that different assumptions can lead to quite different results.