Question

Label each of the following systems as high or low entropy:

Perfume the instant after it is sprayed into the air:
a) High entropy
b) Low entropy

An unmaintained 1950s car compared with a brand new car:
a) High entropy
b) Low entropy

A living cell compared with a dead cell:
a) High entropy
b) Low entropy

Answer 1

The perfume sprayed into the air and the unmaintained 1950s car both have high entropy due to increased disorder and randomness. In contrast, a living cell has low entropy because of its highly ordered state, which requires constant energy input.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concept of entropy is significant in understanding physical systems and how they change over time. Entropy, which is directly related to the disorder or randomness in a system, increases when energy is dispersed or lost from the system. In the context of the given scenarios:

• Perfume the instant after it is sprayed into the air would have high entropy because the perfume molecules disperse rapidly into the air, increasing randomness.
• An unmaintained 1950s car would have high entropy compared to a brand new car because, over time, it becomes more disordered and degraded without maintenance.
• A living cell would have low entropy compared to a dead cell because living cells are highly ordered systems that require constant energy to maintain that order. After death, cells break down, increasing the entropy.

Hence, the correct labels for the systems are:

1. Perfume the instant after it is sprayed into the air: High entropy
2. An unmaintained 1950s car compared with a brand new car: High entropy
3. A living cell compared with a dead cell: Low entropy