"The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynamics, where it was first recognized, to the microscopic description of nature in statistical physics, and to the principles of information theory."
A measure of the disorder or randomness of a system. It can be used to calculate the spontaneity of a reaction, and is defined as S = k ln W, where W is the number of possible microscopic states.
Introduction to Thermodynamics: This topic covers the basic principles of thermodynamics, including the laws of thermodynamics, the concept of energy, and the different types of thermodynamic systems.
State Functions: This topic details the properties of state functions, which are thermodynamic properties that are determined only by the current state of the system, regardless of how the system arrived at that state.
Enthalpy: Enthalpy is a thermodynamic property that describes the amount of heat absorbed or released by a system at constant pressure.
Entropy: Entropy is a thermodynamic property that describes the amount of disorder or randomness in a system.
Gibbs Free Energy: Gibbs free energy is a thermodynamic property that describes the energy available to do work in a system at constant temperature and pressure.
Spontaneity: This topic covers the concept of spontaneity in chemical reactions and the relationship between entropy and spontaneity.
Ideal Gases: Ideal gas laws describe the behavior of gases under ideal conditions and provide a foundation for more complex thermodynamic principles.
Chemical Equilibrium: This topic details the concept of chemical equilibrium, including how it relates to entropy and the potential for work in a system.
Phase Changes: Phase changes involve the transformation of matter from one phase to another, such as from a solid to a liquid or from a gas to a liquid.
Thermodynamic Cycles: Thermodynamic cycles involve the transformation of a system through a sequence of steps, and understanding them can provide insights into the behavior of complex systems.
Statistical Thermodynamics: Statistical thermodynamics is the study of the behavior of many particles in a system and how it relates to thermodynamics.
Entropy in Biological Systems: Entropy plays an important role in biological systems, as it describes the degree of randomness and disorder in biological processes.
Applications of Entropy: Entropy has numerous real-world applications, from improving energy efficiency in manufacturing to evaluating the effectiveness of chemical reactions.
"He defined it as the quotient of an infinitesimal amount of heat to the instantaneous temperature."
"Later coined the term entropy from a Greek word for transformation."
"Entropy is central to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy of an isolated system left to spontaneous evolution cannot decrease with time."
"As a result, isolated systems evolve toward thermodynamic equilibrium, where the entropy is highest."
"Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann explained entropy as the measure of the number of possible microscopic arrangements or states of individual atoms and molecules of a system that comply with the macroscopic condition of the system."
"He thereby introduced the concept of statistical disorder and probability distributions into a new field of thermodynamics, called statistical mechanics."
"...a proportionality constant, the Boltzmann constant, that has become one of the defining universal constants..."
"In 1948, Bell Labs scientist Claude Shannon developed similar statistical concepts..."
"...measuring microscopic uncertainty and multiplicity to the problem of random losses of information in telecommunication signals."
"Upon John von Neumann's suggestion, Shannon named this entity of missing information in analogous manner to its use in statistical mechanics as entropy, and gave birth to the field of information theory."
"...the transmission of information in telecommunication."
"...interpret[ing] the concept as meaning disgregation."
"The thermodynamic concept was referred to by Scottish scientist and engineer William Rankine in 1850 with the names thermodynamic function and heat-potential."
"It has found far-ranging applications in chemistry and physics, in biological systems and their relation to life, in cosmology, economics, sociology, weather science, climate change, and information systems..."
"He initially described it as transformation-content, in German Verwandlungsinhalt..."
"Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann explained entropy as the measure of the number of possible microscopic arrangements or states of individual atoms and molecules of a system that comply with the macroscopic condition of the system."
"A consequence of the second law of thermodynamics is that certain processes are irreversible."
"...and later coined the term entropy from a Greek word for transformation."
"...Shannon named this entity of missing information in analogous manner to its use in statistical mechanics as entropy."