热动力位能是一个来表示系统之热动力态的纯量函数。热动力位能的概念是皮埃尔·迪昂于1886年提出。约西亚·吉布斯在他的论文中使用了基础函数一词。热动力位能其中一种主要的物理解释是内能U。它是守恒力系统之位形的能量（这就是为什么它是一个位能），只有在一套被定义出来的参考系中才具有意义。所有的热动力位能表达式可从U的表达式经勒壤得转换导出。在热动力学中，某些力，如重力通常在位能的表达式中被忽略。例如：在所有的蒸汽引擎中，工作流体在山上的重力位能比在平地上的重力位能更高，重力位能项在内能的方程序中通常会被省略，因为引擎的运作过程中，重力位能的改变量是可以忽略的。

A thermodynamic potential is a scalar quantity used to represent the thermodynamic state of a system. The concept of thermodynamic potentials was introduced by Pierre Duhem in 1886. Josiah Willard Gibbs in his papers used the term fundamental functions. One main thermodynamic potential that has a physical interpretation is the internal energy U. It is the energy of configuration of a given system of conservative forces (that is why it is a potential) and only has meaning with respect to a defined set of references (or data). Expressions for all other thermodynamic energy potentials are derivable via Legendre transforms from an expression for U. In thermodynamics, certain forces, such as gravity, are typically disregarded when formulating expressions for potentials. For example, while all the working fluid in a steam engine may have higher energy due to gravity while sitting on top of Mount Everest than it would at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the gravitational potential energy term in the formula for the internal energy would usually be ignored because changes in gravitational potential within the engine during operation would be negligible.