Chapter 20, Problem 19TE

A gardener finds weeds growing “all by themselves” within her garden. Yet these weeds, she knows, are plants, which are a form of concentrated energy. She wonders whether the growing of these weeds is a violation of the laws of entropy. What do you tell her?

To determine

Whether the growing of weeds in a garden is a violation of the laws of entropy.

Answer to Problem 19TE

No, the growing of weeds in the garden is not the violation of the laws of entropy.

Explanation of Solution

The term entropy of a system states the randomness of a molecule in a system or the disorderness of a system. Entropy is the thermodynamic parameter that is used to determine whether the chemical reaction is spontaneous or not.

If the overall entropy of a system is increasing from the reactant to the product molecule in a chemical reaction, then it is a spontaneous reaction.

If the overall entropy of a system is decreasing from the reactant to the product molecule in a chemical reaction, then it is a non-spontaneous reaction.

The growing process of weed in the garden is a spontaneous process. And thus it does not violate the law of entropy.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the growing of weeds in the garden is not a violation of the laws of entropy.