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Related Concept Videos

Entropy02:39

Entropy

Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
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The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
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In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Processes that involve an increase in entropy of the system (ΔS > 0) are very often spontaneous; however, examples to the contrary are plentiful. By expanding consideration of entropy changes to include the surroundings, a significant conclusion regarding the relation between this property and spontaneity may be reached. In thermodynamic models, the...
Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

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The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. Each energy transfer results in a certain amount of energy that is lost—usually in the form of heat—that increases the disorder of the surroundings. This can also be demonstrated in a classic food web. Herbivores harvest chemical energy from plants and release heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Carnivores harvest the chemical energy...
The Second Law of Thermodynamics01:14

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In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Scientists refer to the measure of randomness or disorder within a system as entropy. High entropy means high disorder and low energy. To better understand entropy, think of a student’s bedroom. If no energy or work were put into it, the room would quickly become messy. It would exist in a very disordered state, one of high entropy. Energy must be put...
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Consider an isolated system in which a hot object is placed in contact with a cold one. This is an irreversible process that eventually leads both objects to reach the same equilibrium temperature. It is crucial to note that the constituents of any substance exhibit increased disorder at higher temperatures. As a cold substance absorbs heat, its constituents become more disordered. The energy transfer from a hotter object to a cooler one increases the system's disorder or randomness. This...

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Local entropy and structure in a two-dimensional frustrated system.

Matthew D Robinson1, David P Feldman, Susan R McKay

  • 1Red Shift Company LLC, 1017 E. South Boulder Road, Suite F, Louisville, Colorado 80027, USA. matthewd@mailaps.org

Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)
|October 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers probed order in a diluted Ising antiferromagnet using Shannon entropy. A phase transition was observed, revealing spin glass ordering and uneven entropy distribution across the lattice.

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Area of Science:

  • Condensed matter physics
  • Statistical mechanics
  • Information theory

Background:

  • Quenched disorder introduces complexity in magnetic systems.
  • Information theoretic measures can quantify order in complex systems.
  • Diluted Ising antiferromagnets exhibit unique phase transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of quenched disorder in a diluted Ising antiferromagnet.
  • To use Shannon and excess entropy as probes of order.
  • To analyze the impact of sublattice dilution on magnetic ordering and entropy distribution.

Main Methods:

  • Calculation of local contributions to Shannon entropy and excess entropy.
  • Analysis of a diluted Ising antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice.
  • Examination of temperature-driven phase transitions and sublattice magnetizations.

Main Results:

  • A temperature-driven phase transition occurs in sufficiently diluted systems.
  • The diluted sublattice exhibits spin glass ordering without net magnetization.
  • Local entropy distributions broaden at low temperatures, indicating unequal entropy sharing.
  • Local reentrance of entropy contributions observed in some regions.
  • Average excess entropy peaks sharply at the critical temperature.

Conclusions:

  • Shannon and excess entropy are effective quantitative probes of order from quenched disorder.
  • Spin glass ordering significantly impacts entropy distribution and system dynamics.
  • Excess entropy is sensitive to structural changes during phase transitions.