Final answer:
An increase in temperature often results in a negligible change to the value of ΔS system because the entropy changes for the system and surroundings are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign.
This occurs when the temperature difference between the system and surroundings is very small.
Step-by-step explanation:
An increase in temperature often results in a negligible change to the value of ΔS system because the magnitude of the entropy change for the system is usually much smaller than the magnitude of the entropy change for the surroundings.
When the temperature difference between the system and surroundings is very small, the heat flow between them is thermodynamically reversible, meaning that the entropy changes for the system and surroundings are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign. As a result, the overall change in entropy of the universe, ΔS universe, is close to zero.
For example, during a phase change like melting of ice, even though energy is absorbed by the system, the temperature remains constant because the energy is used to change the phase rather than increase the temperature.