Introduction To Entropy
Entropy is a measure of how evenly energy is distributed in a system. In a physical system, entropy provides a measure of the amount of energy that cannot be used to do work.
The concept of entropy is central to the second law of thermodynamics. The second law determines which physical processes can occur. For example, it predicts that the flow of heat from a region of high temperature to a region of low temperature is a spontaneous process – it can proceed along without needing any extra external energy. When this process occurs, the hot region becomes cooler and the cold region becomes warmer. Heat is distributed more evenly throughout the system and the system's ability to do work has decreased because the temperature difference between the hot region and the cold region has decreased. Referring back to our definition of entropy, we can see that the entropy of this system has increased. Thus, the second law of thermodynamics can be stated to say that the entropy of an isolated system always increases, and such processes which increase entropy can occur spontaneously. Since entropy increases as uniformity increases, the second law says qualitatively that uniformity increases.
The term entropy was coined in 1865 by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius, from the Greek words en-, "in", and trope "a turning", in analogy with energy.
Read more about Introduction To Entropy: Explanation, Example of Increasing Entropy, Origins and Uses, Heat and Entropy, Introductory Descriptions of Entropy
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