Final answer:
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the total entropy of a system and its surroundings increases for a spontaneous process. Examples include ice melting, coffee cooling, and gas expanding in a vacuum. It reflects the unidirectional nature of natural processes towards higher entropy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the total entropy of a system and its surroundings always increases for a spontaneous process. Entropy, often associated with the level of disorder in a system, is a measure of the system's tendency to evolve toward equilibrium. The second law implies that energy transformations are not 100% efficient, due to the increase in entropy. Thus, processes tend to occur in a direction that increases the overall entropy of the universe.
Examples of the Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Ice melting at room temperature - The ice/water system becomes more disordered as the solid ice turns into liquid water.
- A hot mug of coffee cooling down - Energy is transferred from the coffee to its surroundings, increasing the overall entropy.
- Gas expanding to fill a vacuum - When a gas expands without restriction, its particles spread out, leading to increased disorder.
This law emphasizes that all natural processes are unidirectional and move towards a state of higher entropy. However, in localized systems, entropy can decrease, provided the surroundings' entropy increases by a greater amount, thus still aligning with the second law.