Question

Energy transfers take place constantly in everyday activities. Think of two scenarios: cooking on a stove and driving. Explain how the second law of thermodynamics applies to these scenarios.

a) Heat always flows from a hotter object to a cooler object.
b) Heat always flows from a cooler object to a hotter object.
c) Heat does not transfer during these activities.
d) Heat transfer depends on the specific materials involved.

Answer 1

The second law of thermodynamics states that energy transfers from hotter to cooler objects, increasing system entropy.

This applies to both cooking on a stove and driving a car as energy flows from warmer engines or stoves to cooler surroundings, with some energy inevitably being lost, illustrating the law's implications.

Step-by-step explanation:

When cooking on a stove, the stove serves as a heat source, transferring energy in the form of heat to the cooler pot or pan on top.

According to the second law of thermodynamics, this transfer of energy always moves from the hotter object to the cooler one, never in reverse, thereby increasing entropy of the system. Similarly, when driving a car, the engine generates heat as it converts chemical energy from the fuel into mechanical work.

This heat is transferred to the cooler surroundings, contributing to an overall increase in entropy, which is consistent with the second law of thermodynamics.

These processes can never be perfectly efficient as some energy is always lost to the surroundings and cannot be used for work, highlighting the irreversible nature of real-world processes.