Question

Imagine an elaborate ant farm with tunnels and passageways through the sand where ants live in a large community. Now imagine that an earthquake shook the ground and demolished the ant farm. In which of these two scenarios, before or after the earthquake, was the ant farm system in a state of higher or lower entropy?

a) Before; higher entropy
b) Before; lower entropy
c) After; higher entropy
d) After; lower entropy

Answer 1

The ant farm system was in a state of lower entropy before the earthquake. To restore the ant farm, the ants would need to spend energy to rebuild the tunnels and passageways. Correct option is b.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ant farm system was in a state of lower entropy before the earthquake. Entropy refers to the level of disorder or randomness in a system. Before the earthquake, the ant farm was organized with tunnels and passageways, which represents a lower level of entropy compared to the disorganized and demolished state of the ant farm after the earthquake.

To restore the ant farm to its original state or close to it, the ants would need to spend energy to rebuild the tunnels and passageways, reducing the entropy by creating a more organized and ordered structure.