Entropy is a thermodynamic quantity that reflects the degree of disorder or randomness in a system. An increase in entropy means the system’s molecules become more disorganized or spread out over available states.
Key ideas:
- Systems naturally tend to move toward higher entropy, reflecting the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
- For example, when ice melts to water, entropy increases as molecules move from an ordered solid structure to a more disordered liquid.
- Increased entropy is often linked to processes like mixing, diffusion, and spontaneous chemical reactions.
Entropy helps explain why certain processes happen spontaneously and is fundamental in understanding energy dispersal and the arrow of time in physics and chemistry.