Science

Entropy.

Definition

A measure of the disorder or randomness in a system. Nature tends toward increasing entropy, meaning systems naturally move toward more disordered states. Entropy is central to the second law of thermodynamics.

Examples

Real-world.

  • 1 Ice melting into water increases entropy as molecules move more freely
  • 2 A gas expanding to fill an entire room
  • 3 Shuffling a deck of cards increases disorder
Key Fact

ΔS_universe > 0 for all spontaneous processes (Second Law of Thermodynamics)

Studied in

1 unit use this concept.