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Since an entropy is a state function, the entropy change of the system for an irreversible path is the same as for a reversible path between the same two states. [23] However, the heat transferred to or from the surroundings is different as well as its entropy change. We can calculate the change of entropy only by integrating the above formula.
The surroundings will maximize its entropy given its newly acquired energy, which is equivalent to the energy having been transferred as heat. Since the potential energy of the system is now at a minimum with no increase in the energy due to heat of either the marble or the bowl, the total energy of the system is at a minimum.
Entropy changes for systems in a canonical state A system with a well-defined temperature, i.e., one in thermal equilibrium with a thermal reservoir, has a probability of being in a microstate i given by Boltzmann's distribution .
An isothermal process is a type of thermodynamic process in which the temperature T of a system remains constant: ΔT = 0. This typically occurs when a system is in contact with an outside thermal reservoir, and a change in the system occurs slowly enough to allow the system to be continuously adjusted to the temperature of the reservoir through heat exchange (see quasi-equilibrium).
This law of entropy increase quantifies the reduction in the capacity of an isolated compound thermodynamic system to do thermodynamic work on its surroundings, or indicates whether a thermodynamic process may occur. For example, whenever there is a suitable pathway, heat spontaneously flows from a hotter body to a colder one.
where is the total entropy change in the external thermal reservoirs (surroundings), is an infinitesimal amount of heat that is taken from the reservoirs and absorbed by the system (> if heat from the reservoirs is absorbed by the system, and < 0 if heat is leaving from the system to the reservoirs) and is the common temperature of the ...
This is possible provided the total entropy change of the system plus the surroundings is positive as required by the second law: ΔS tot = ΔS + ΔS R > 0. For the three examples given above: 1) Heat can be transferred from a region of lower temperature to a higher temperature in a refrigerator or in a heat pump. These machines must provide ...
Other applications exploit that entropy and internal energy are state functions whose change depends only on the initial and final states of the system, not on how the process occurred. [6] Therefore, the entropy and internal-energy change in a real process can be calculated quite easily by analyzing a reversible process connecting the real ...