dentify which of the following processes will be spontaneous or nonspontaneous. 1. Driftwood flowing down the river. 2. Lifting weights in a gym. 3. Doing laundry. 4. Getting older. 5. Burning of paper

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Chapter1: Chemical Foundations
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Identify which of the following processes will be spontaneous or nonspontaneous.
1. Driftwood flowing down the river.
2. Lifting weights in a gym.
3. Doing laundry.
4. Getting older.
5. Burning of paper

Degree of disorder is also known as the entropy of a system, and the
Second Law of Thermodynamics can be restated in terms of entropy, i.e.,
"The entropy of an isolated system increases in the course of a
spontaneous change." Note that entropy increases in the course of a spontaneous
change; hence, this is not a cause-and-effect scenario, or if you wish, "Which comes
first, the chicken or the egg?" type of situation. Increased entropy does not cause a
spontaneous change and vice versa; rather when there is a change that happens
spontaneously, this must be accompanied by an increase in entropy in the isolated
system (which we will elaborate on shortly).
Since heat is more entropic (disordered), and work is less entropic (ordered), a ball,
for example, will bounce up progressively to shorter heights (Figure 2.2a) since work
energy spontaneously dissipates as heat energy every time the ball hits the ground
(Figure 2.2b).
(a)
(b)
Figure 2. Heat energy is dissipated as a ball hits the ground, causing it to lose height after each
successive bounce. (Graphics taken from Atkins and de Paula. Atkins' Physical Chemistry, 8th ed.)
It is unlikely that a ball initially at rest on the ground will absorb heat energy from the
surface and spontaneously convert that into work energy causing the ball to lift up from
the ground (Figure 2c). Maybe the secret to becoming Jedi knights is the ability to
controvert the Second Law of Thermodynamics!
To do: Identify which of the following processes will be spontaneous or non-
spontaneous.
1. Driftwood flowing down the river.
2. Lifting weights in a gym.
3. Doing laundry.
4. Getting older.
5. Burning of paper.
Transcribed Image Text:Degree of disorder is also known as the entropy of a system, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics can be restated in terms of entropy, i.e., "The entropy of an isolated system increases in the course of a spontaneous change." Note that entropy increases in the course of a spontaneous change; hence, this is not a cause-and-effect scenario, or if you wish, "Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?" type of situation. Increased entropy does not cause a spontaneous change and vice versa; rather when there is a change that happens spontaneously, this must be accompanied by an increase in entropy in the isolated system (which we will elaborate on shortly). Since heat is more entropic (disordered), and work is less entropic (ordered), a ball, for example, will bounce up progressively to shorter heights (Figure 2.2a) since work energy spontaneously dissipates as heat energy every time the ball hits the ground (Figure 2.2b). (a) (b) Figure 2. Heat energy is dissipated as a ball hits the ground, causing it to lose height after each successive bounce. (Graphics taken from Atkins and de Paula. Atkins' Physical Chemistry, 8th ed.) It is unlikely that a ball initially at rest on the ground will absorb heat energy from the surface and spontaneously convert that into work energy causing the ball to lift up from the ground (Figure 2c). Maybe the secret to becoming Jedi knights is the ability to controvert the Second Law of Thermodynamics! To do: Identify which of the following processes will be spontaneous or non- spontaneous. 1. Driftwood flowing down the river. 2. Lifting weights in a gym. 3. Doing laundry. 4. Getting older. 5. Burning of paper.
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