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Understanding Entropy in Thermodynamics

Entropy is a quantitative measure of disorder or randomness in a system. It is defined in thermodynamics as the change in heat divided by temperature for an isothermal process, or as the integral of change in heat over temperature for any reversible process. In a more general sense, entropy measures the number of microscopic configurations a system can have, with higher entropy meaning more disorder and randomness at a macroscopic scale. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a closed system will remain constant or increase over time, as energy disperses and disorder increases.

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65 views2 pages

Understanding Entropy in Thermodynamics

Entropy is a quantitative measure of disorder or randomness in a system. It is defined in thermodynamics as the change in heat divided by temperature for an isothermal process, or as the integral of change in heat over temperature for any reversible process. In a more general sense, entropy measures the number of microscopic configurations a system can have, with higher entropy meaning more disorder and randomness at a macroscopic scale. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a closed system will remain constant or increase over time, as energy disperses and disorder increases.

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Fery Reykha Ombing
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© All Rights Reserved
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Entropy Definition

Entropy is defined as the quantitative measure of disorder or randomness in a system. The


concept comes out of thermodynamics, which deals with the transfer of heat energy within a
system. Instead of talking about some form of "absolute entropy," physicists generally talk about
the change in entropy that takes place in a specific thermodynamic process.

Calculating Entropy
In an isothermal process, the change in entropy (delta-S) is the change in heat (Q) divided by the
absolute temperature (T):
delta-S = Q/T
In any reversible thermodynamic process, it can be represented in calculus as the integral from a
process's initial state to its final state of dQ/T.
In a more general sense, entropy is a measure of probability and the molecular disorder of a
macroscopic system. In a system that can be described by variables, there are a certain number of
configurations those variables may assume. If each configuration is equally probable, then the
entropy is the natural logarithm of the number of configurations, multiplied by Boltzmann's
constant.
S = kB ln W
where S is entropy, kB is Boltzmann's constant, ln is the natural logarithm and W represents the
number of possible states. Boltzmann's constant is equal to 1.38065 1023 J/K.

Units of Entropy
Entropy is considered to be an extensive property of matter that is expressed in terms of energy
divided by temperature. The SI units of entropy are J/K (joules/degrees Kelvin).

Entropy & The Second Law of Thermodynamics


One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics is:
In any closed system, the entropy of the system will either remain constant or increase.
One way to view this is that adding heat to a system causes the molecules and atoms to speed up.
It may be possible (though tricky) to reverse the process in a closed system (i.e. without drawing
any energy from or releasing energy somewhere else) to reach the initial state, but you can never
get the entire system "less energetic" than it started ... the energy just doesn't have anyplace to
go. For irreversible processes, the combined entropy of the system and its environment always
increases.

Misconceptions about Entropy


This view of the second law of thermodynamics is very popular, and it has been misused. Some
argue that the second law of thermodynamics means that a system can never become more
orderly. Not true. It just means that in order to become more orderly (for entropy to decrease),
you must transfer energy from somewhere outside the system, such as when a pregnant woman
draws energy from food to cause the fertilized egg to become a complete baby, completely in line
with the second line's provisions.
Also Known As: Disorder, Chaos, Randomness (all three imprecise synonyms)

Absolute Entropy
A related term is "absolute entropy", which is denoted by S rather than S. Absolute entropy is
defined according to the third law of thermodynamics. Here a constant is applied that makes it so
the entropy at absolute zero is defined to be zero.

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