Question

14. Which statement is an expression of the Second Law of Thermodynamics?

a. Events tend to proceed downhill from a higher to a lower energy state.
b. Events tend to proceed uphill from a lower to a higher energy state.
c. Some energy is inevitably lost as a machine or a living organism works.
d. Energy can be transduced.

(1) a and d
(2) a
(3) c
(4) d
(5) a and c

Answer 1

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy increases and energy transfers are not fully efficient, with some energy being lost. Therefore, the statements 'Events tend to proceed downhill from a higher to a lower energy state' and 'Some energy is inevitably lost as a machine or a living organism works' correctly express this law.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is fundamental to understanding energy transfer processes. According to this law, energy efficiency is never 100%, as some energy is inevitably lost in the form of heat or in an unusable state, increasing the system's entropy. Thus, entropy in the universe is always increasing, and energy transfers naturally progress from a higher to a lower energy state due to this tendency for processes to result in greater disorder.

So, the correct answer to the initial question is that the statement expressing the Second Law of Thermodynamics is (3) c. Some energy is inevitably lost as a machine or a living organism works.

Answer option 'a. Events tend to proceed downhill from a higher to a lower energy state' is also relevant to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, so the combined correct answer would be (5) a and c.