Question

What is the difference between the first and second laws of thermodynamics?

a) The first law relates to energy transfer; the second law relates to energy transformation.
b) The first law deals with disorder; the second law deals with order.
c) The first law states that energy is constant; the second law states that energy tends to disperse.
d) The first law applies to closed systems; the second law applies to open systems.

Answer 1

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy is conserved, while the second law of thermodynamics states that energy tends to disperse and systems tend to become more disordered.

Step-by-step explanation:

The first law of thermodynamics states that the total amount of energy in the universe is constant. This means that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. On the other hand, the second law of thermodynamics states that every energy transfer involves some loss of energy in an unusable form, such as heat energy, resulting in a more disordered system. In other words, no energy transfer is completely efficient and tends toward disorder.