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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...
Entropy01:18

Entropy

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...
Second Law of Thermodynamics02:49

Second Law of Thermodynamics

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

Second Law of Thermodynamics

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

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

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...
Entropy Change in Reversible Processes01:10

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.

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An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
11:03

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

Published on: December 4, 2017

Entropy production in non-equilibrium fluctuating hydrodynamics.

Giacomo Gradenigo1, Andrea Puglisi, Alessandro Sarracino

  • 1CNR-ISC and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università Sapienza - p.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|July 12, 2012
PubMed
Summary

This study analyzes fluctuating entropy production in granular fluids. Average entropy production is linked to macroscopic quantities, acting as a product of thermodynamic force and current.

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Area of Science:

  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics
  • Fluid Dynamics

Background:

  • Entropy production is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics, crucial for understanding irreversibility.
  • Non-equilibrium systems, particularly granular fluids, exhibit complex behaviors not fully captured by equilibrium theories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate fluctuating entropy production in linearly coupled complex fields.
  • To apply these findings to non-equilibrium fluctuating hydrodynamic equations for granular fluids.
  • To express average entropy production in terms of macroscopic quantities.

Main Methods:

  • Studied fluctuating entropy production for linearly coupled complex fields.
  • Applied general results to non-equilibrium fluctuating hydrodynamic equations for coarse-grained fields (density, temperature, velocity).
  • Analyzed driven granular fluids with different thermostats and the homogeneous cooling regime.

Main Results:

  • Average entropy production was expressed using macroscopic quantities, analogous to linear non-equilibrium thermodynamics.
  • Entropy production was found to be the product of a thermodynamic force (dependent on energy injection) and a current (static correlation between density and temperature fluctuations).
  • Both force and current vanish in the elastic limit; behavior was analyzed across different length scales.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a framework for understanding entropy production in granular fluids from a microscopic stochastic perspective.
  • The findings highlight the relationship between microscopic fluctuations and macroscopic thermodynamic quantities.
  • Qualitative differences in entropy production behavior were observed across different granular models.