Question

Which of the following are valid ways of stating the 2nd law of thermodynamics? a) Energy cannot be created or destroyed. b) Heat flows from a hot object to a cold object. c) Entropy increases in an isolated system. d) Work is done when a force is applied over a distance.

Answer 1

The valid ways of stating the 2nd law of thermodynamics are:

b) Heat flows from a hot object to a cold object.

c) Entropy increases in an isolated system.

Step-by-step explanation:

These statements capture different aspects of the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Statement (b) reflects the idea that heat naturally flows from higher temperature regions to lower temperature regions, and statement (c) emphasizes the tendency of entropy to increase in closed or isolated systems, which is often associated with the idea of increasing disorder or randomness in the system. Statements (a) and (d) are related to the conservation of energy and the concept of work but do not directly describe the 2nd law of thermodynamics.