Text | Literature and history are often talked about
Edit | Literature and history are often talked about
●○Preface○●
The law of increasing entropy is a fundamental law in thermodynamics that describes an important feature of nature – the increase in entropy.
The law of increasing entropy states that the entropy of any closed system increases over time, and this increase is irreversible.
This law has important implications for understanding many phenomena in nature, such as chemical reactions, the origin of life, and the evolution of the universe.
●○Development history○●
The law of increasing entropy is an important corollary to the second law of thermodynamics and an important achievement of thermodynamic theory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The law of increasing entropy was first proposed by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius in the 1850s, and his ideas were further developed and perfected by later physicists Boltzmann and Gibbs.
In the 1850s, the German physicist Rudolf Clausius first proposed the second law of thermodynamics, that is, heat cannot spontaneously transfer from a low temperature object to a hot object.
In his 1854 paper "The Second Law of Thermodynamics", he proposed the concept of entropy and defined it as "the irreversible change of energy in the process", and he also pointed out that the increase in entropy is a natural trend, which is the core content of the law of increasing entropy.
William Thomson (later Baron Kelvin) stated that "there is no process that can spontaneously transfer heat from a cold object to a hot object without the occurrence of other effects".
He also proposed an analogy comparing heat transfer to flowing water, with low-temperature objects equivalent to the high places of water and high-temperature objects equivalent to the low parts of water, a metaphor known as a "thermodynamic waterfall."
In the 70s of the 19th century, Scottish physicist James Clark Maxwell further developed the concept of entropy and proposed the famous Maxwell's ghost thought experiment, which was considered a difficult problem in thermodynamics.
Maxwell's ghost experiment pointed out that if there is a "ghost" that can distinguish the speed of molecules, it can achieve energy reversal by opening and closing a molecular-sized door, allowing high-speed molecules to enter the heat source and low-speed molecules to enter the cold source, thereby achieving energy reversal.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the German physicist Albert Einstein conducted an in-depth study of the second law of thermodynamics and proposed the Einstein problem.
He found that the second law of thermodynamics and the law of increasing entropy were not absolute, but could be violated on a microscopic scale.
This discovery prompted him to study the relationship between thermodynamics and statistical physics, and developed new thermodynamic theories based on statistical physics, which laid the foundation for later physics research.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, statistical physics gradually became an important branch of physics, and its core idea was to study macroscopic physical phenomena through statistical analysis of the motion of microscopic particles.
Under this framework, the concept of entropy was redefined as the logarithm of the number of microstates of the system, and the development of statistical physics promoted the further refinement of thermodynamic theory, making the connection between thermodynamics and statistical physics more close.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the American physicist Gibbs and the Austrian physicist Boltzmann respectively conducted in-depth discussions on the law of increasing entropy in their own research.
In his book Principles of Statistical Mechanics, Gibbs extended the concept of entropy to non-equilibrium systems through statistical analysis of the microstate of the system, and proposed the concept of Gibbs' entropy.
Boltzmann made the formulation of the law of increasing entropy more specific and operable through the derivation of the basic equations of thermodynamics, and proposed the famous Boltzmann equation, which describes the statistical behavior of molecular motion and provides a theoretical basis for entropy increase at the microscopic scale.
In summary, the history of the law of increasing entropy can be traced back to the end of the 19th century, and after the research and development of many physicists, it has been gradually improved and widely used.
The emergence of the law of increasing entropy has led to a more complete description of thermodynamic theory, and has also promoted the development of statistical physics and microscopic thermodynamic theory.
●○The concept of entropy ○●
Entropy is an important concept in thermodynamics to describe the degree of disorder or chaos of a system, and entropy is usually denoted by the symbol S in Joules/Kelvin (J/K).
In thermodynamics, entropy is a function of state, that is, it is only related to the initial and final states of the system, not to the path.
According to the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy of an isolated system always tends to increase, the law of increasing entropy, which means that the energy conversion of an isolated system will lead to an increase in entropy, the system is becoming more and more disorderly, and this trend is irreversible.
The value of entropy can be determined by counting the number of microstates of the system, in a closed system, the more microstates there are, the greater the entropy and the higher the disorder of the system.
A gas composed of a large number of particles has a very large number of microstates and a very large entropy, because the particles can move freely, and the shape and position of the gas are disordered and chaotic.
Entropy can also be used to describe other types of systems, such as chemical reactions and ecosystems, where an increase in entropy is usually due to a mixture or reaction of chemicals, and in an ecosystem, an increase in entropy is usually due to the flow and dispersion of matter and energy.
●○The principle of the law of increasing entropy ○●
The law of increasing entropy is a fundamental law in thermodynamics that describes a common phenomenon in nature, that is, the increase in entropy, which is supported by the following three principles:
The first law, also known as the law of conservation of energy, is one of the most fundamental laws in thermodynamics, which expresses the principle of conservation of energy.
That is, in an isolated system, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can only be transformed from one form to another.
This law is the basis of thermodynamic research, which tells us how energy is converted and transferred, allowing us to calculate the exchange of energy within the system and with the outside world.
The law that energy in a closed system can be converted into other forms of energy, but the total amount of energy remains constant, provides the basis for the law of increasing entropy.
The law of conservation of energy can be expressed mathematically as: ΔU=Q−W.
When the volume of a gas changes, the outside world needs to do work on the gas, and this work will be converted into energy inside the gas.
When a gas absorbs heat from the outside, its internal energy also increases, and the law of conservation of energy tells us that whether it is the volume change of the gas or the transfer of heat, the principle of conservation of energy needs to be satisfied.
The law of conservation of energy is the basis of thermodynamic research, which not only has a wide range of applications in physics, but also plays an important role in other fields.
In chemical reactions, the law of conservation of energy can help us determine the heat of reaction and the enthalpy of reaction, leading to a better understanding of the nature of chemical reactions.
In the field of engineering, the law of conservation of energy can help us design efficient energy utilization systems and reduce energy waste and loss, and the law of conservation of energy is the foundation and core of thermodynamics and energy conversion research.
The second law is another fundamental law in thermodynamics, also known as the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy of any isolated system increases over time, and that the process is irreversible.
This means that in any physical or chemical process, the entropy of a system always increases, not decreases.
During the burning of a matchstick, the chemical energy of the wood is released, but this process leads to an increase in entropy, making the system more disordered as heat and light energy are dispersed in the surrounding environment in a disorderly manner.
This law indicates the tendency in nature that matter and energy move and distribute in a disordered and scattered state, rather than in an ordered and concentrated state.
The basic equation of thermodynamics is the equation that describes the state of a thermodynamic system, it includes internal energy, entropy, and other related parameters, in which entropy is an important parameter because it describes the degree of disorder of the system.
●○Application of the law of increasing entropy ○●
The law of increasing entropy has a wide range of applications not only in thermodynamics, but also in other fields, such as chemistry, biology, earth sciences, and cosmology.
In chemical reactions, the law of increasing entropy can be used to predict the thermodynamic direction of a reaction, and if a chemical reaction causes the entropy of the system to increase, then the reaction is spontaneous.
Conversely, if a chemical reaction causes the entropy of the system to decrease, then the reaction is not spontaneous and requires external energy to occur.
The reaction of hydrogen and oxygen produces an increase in the entropy of water molecules, which is spontaneous, while the reaction that splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen causes a decrease in the entropy of the system, a reaction that requires energy from the outside world to carry out.
In biology, the law of increasing entropy can be used to explain the origin and evolution of life, which is a complex process that requires organic molecules to polymerize into more complex biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids under disordered conditions.
This process leads to a decrease in the entropy of the system, so it requires energy from the outside to proceed, and once these biological macromolecules are formed, they can further evolve and self-organize under disordered conditions, resulting in an increase in the entropy of the system.
This process is essential for the survival and reproduction of organisms as it enables organisms to adapt and evolve in changing environments.
In Earth sciences, the law of increasing entropy can be used to explain many natural phenomena on Earth, such as rock weathering on the Earth's surface and material cycles in living Earth ecosystems.
Rock weathering leads to chemical reactions and material transfers on Earth, and these reactions can lead to an increase in the entropy of the system, which promotes the circulation of matter.
Similarly, processes such as the decomposition of organic matter and photosynthesis in ecosystems can lead to increased entropy of the system, promoting material cycling and energy flow in ecosystems.
In cosmology, the law of increasing entropy can be used to explain the evolution and structure of the universe.
The origin and evolution of the universe began in a highly ordered, low-entropy initial state, and over time, the entropy of the universe continued to increase, matter and energy continued to disperse and disperse, forming structures such as galaxies, nebulae and interstellar media in the universe.
This process is consistent with the law of increasing entropy, that is, the universe tends to a higher state of disorder and disarray, and the law of increasing entropy has become one of the basic principles to explain the evolution of the universe.
The law of increasing entropy reveals a fundamental tendency in nature that matter and energy move and distribute in a disordered, scattered state.
It supports the basic principle of evolutionary theory, that the evolution of organisms is a self-organizing, adaptive process that requires constant consumption of external energy and increases the complexity and adaptability of systems under disorderly conditions.
It enlightens us to pay attention to environmental protection and resource utilization, avoid excessive consumption and waste of resources, so as to slow down the rate of entropy increase in nature and reduce environmental pressure.
We should be reminded to pay attention to the complexity and uncertainty of the system, especially when dealing with complex problems and formulating policies, we should consider the integrity and dynamics of the system, and avoid oversimplification and mechanized thinking.
Encourage us to explore new energy sources and technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce the rate of entropy increase, so as to provide better support and guarantee for sustainable development.
●○Epilogue○●
The law of increasing entropy is a fundamental principle in thermodynamics and a fundamental trend in nature.
It reveals the tendency of matter and energy to be dispersed and scattered, and is applicable to a wide range of natural systems, including fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and cosmology.
The application and enlightenment of the law of increasing entropy help us better understand natural and social phenomena, and provide important ideas and directions to guide sustainable development.
With the continuous development of science and technology and the deepening of human understanding of the natural world, we can foresee that the application and enlightenment of the law of increasing entropy will continue to play an important role.
We need to study more deeply the nature and scope of application of the law of increasing entropy in order to better use natural resources, protect the environment, and promote the sustainable development of human society.