Entropy

  • Entropy measures the energy not available in a closed system.
  • It is a measure of the disorder or chaos within a thermal system.
  • Entropy increases when heat is supplied and decreases when heat is rejected.
  • It is essential in thermodynamic processes and natural phenomena.

disorder of the universe

When we are talking about thermodynamics, the entropy. The entropy of a system is a type of measure of energy not available in a thermodynamic or closed system that is also often thought of as a measure of system disturbance. It is a property of the state of the system that varies directly with any change, as long as it is reversible in the heat of the system or inversely with the temperature of the same.

In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about entropy and we are going to give you some examples in everyday life.

Definition of entropy

entropy and water

We know that it is the measure of the energy that is not available within a closed thermodynamic system. One of the way to use entropy is to measure the disorder of a system. That is to say, chaos within a system is due through entropy. Normally, as the temperature increases or decreases, there are major changes in the molecules and atoms that make up a system.

If we define entropy in simpler terms we can say that it is the degradation of matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity. In the context of thermodynamics, entropy plays a fundamental role in understanding energy processes, as well as in phenomena such as chaos and turbulence.

Key features

entropy

We are going to see what are the main characteristics that entropy encompasses. It has three main characteristics. One of them is that the entropy of a system increases when heat is supplied in a system regardless of whether the temperature also increases as a consequence. That is, in any system in which we introduce heat, the entropy of the system increases.

When we introduce heat into an ecosystem, whether the temperature changes or not, the entropy decreases when this heat is rejected. In In all processes that are adiabatic, the entropy value remains constant over time. How to measure entropy must be done very carefully. And it is that, when it is measured, arbitrary decisions must be made and some of them can be avoided. For example, the unit of granularity, taking what is called the entropy rate, but some other limitations are insurmountable.

Let's take an example to clarify this better. If we have to make a choice about how to describe certain events that occur since entropy is not invariable, we can describe the same object in the same way. This is a greater limitation than the common limitation and it is generally recognized that in order to measure entropy, the domain of the problem to be treated must be known.

However, we can define entropy as an extremely simple function. It only has one logarithm involved and the number of things that have certain properties of interest.

Properties of entropy

graphics

Let's begin by describing the most significant properties of entropy in our everyday experience. It can be presented as something that has no weight and that can flow into everything in our world. It is a property that has to do with the amount of matter in a body which refers to a region of space and can be basically treated as a substance. In this way, entropy can be distributed over an area of ​​matter, accumulated inversely or directly. It can also be extracted, decompressed or transferred to another object. In this way, we can associate it with our own energy.

We know that entropy significantly changes the state of an object. When a material has a small amount of it, it is perceived as cold. If the material contains more and more entropy, it can be perceived as cold or even hot. This is why we know that it plays a fundamental role in all thermal aspects and can be considered the cause of these effects. Without this measure there is no temperature or heat. It normally tends to spread throughout a homogeneous body and is automatically destroyed more or less quickly and uniformly throughout the volume.

In this process, we can see that entropy flows from the hotter to the colder body. There are substances that are good conductors, such as silver, copper, diamond, and aluminum, and others that are poor conductors and cause entropy to flow more slowly, such as wood, plastic, or air. While in everyday life we ​​use good conductors to transfer entropy, we use poor conductors as insulators.

A large amount of entropy is produced in the heating coil of a power plant. They are also produced in the flame of a fuel burner and in the friction surfaces of a disc brake system. Another place where large amounts of them are generated is in the muscles of an athlete who is in constant motion. The same thing happens in the brain. When we think, a large amount of entropy is produced.

Temperature and nature

We practically know that production occurs in every situation in nature. In any situation in which there is a change there is entropy involved. The most surprising characteristic that it has is that it occurs in practically all the processes that take place in life, whether in small or large quantities. There is currently no known mechanism by which, Once a quantity of entropy has been produced, it cannot be destroyed. The total amount existing can only increase and never decrease.

Any process that generates entropy cannot return that energy because it is an irreversible system. This does not mean that the body cannot return to its initial state, only that this amount of heat leaves the body. The statement that it increases but does not decrease it is what is contained in the second law of thermodynamics. If there is no place to deposit the entropy, it is not possible for the body to return to its initial state.

As you can see, it's a rather difficult feature to describe, but it's very useful in everyday life. I hope this information helps you learn more about this topic.


Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.