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InterviewSolution
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b] What is entropy? |
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Answer» Thesecond law of thermodynamicsstates that the entropy of an isolated system never decreases. Such systems spontaneously evolve towardsthermodynamic equilibrium, the state with maximum entropy. Non-isolated systems may lose entropy, provided their environment's entropy increases by at least that amount so that the total entropy increases. Entropy is a function of thestate of the system, so the change in entropy of a system is determined by its initial and final states. In the idealization that a process isreversible, the entropy does not change, while irreversible processes always increase the total entropy. |
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