Final answer:
A car is a system with memory as its current state is affected by past use, while a spring-operated dart gun is memoryless. Entropy in a system can indicate its disorder, and varies for different systems at different states. At equilibrium, a system can have varying amounts of products and reactants based on specific reaction conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine whether a system is memoryless or has memory, we need to understand how the system operates with respect to time. A memoryless system's output is solely based on the current input without regard to past or future inputs. A system with memory, however, needs to consider past (and sometimes future) inputs to produce the current output.
In the case of a car, it would be considered a system with memory. As a car operates, its current state is affected by its past performance, such as engine wear or fuel levels. For a spring-operated dart gun, it is typically a memoryless system because its operation at any given time depends only on the current tension in the spring and not on how many times it has been used before. Regarding Figure 7.15(a), which is not described here, we would need additional information to determine if it is memoryless or with memory.
When discussing entropy, a measure of disorder in a system, in the context of the real-world systems provided, we can deduce the following states:
- For a perfume bottle when sprayed, the entropy initially is low and increases substantially after 30 seconds as the perfume molecules disperse.
- An old 1950s car has high entropy compared to a brand new car due to its wear and tear over time.
- A living cell has low entropy, while a dead cell's entropy would be high due to the loss of structured biological processes.
Lastly, when discussing systems at equilibrium, the system may contain essentially only products, contain essentially only reactants, or contain appreciable amounts of both, depending on the reaction conditions and constants.