Surrounding

Real World Example

Imagine trying to concentrate on reading a book while sitting in a busy coffee shop. Just as the noise of the bustling café, the clinking of cups, and the chatter of people can affect your focus, everything in the universe surrounding a thermodynamic system can influence how energy is transferred or transformed within that system. In this analogy, your mind is the thermodynamic system, while the coffee shop's environment—full of distractions—is the universe surrounding it, affecting how well you can absorb and process the information in your book.