SLO 1.4 - Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Key Concepts and Skills

• Entropy: Provide a definition of entropy that goes beyond the words, “chaos” and “disorder”
• Statistical definition: Use Boltzmann’s law and tools for counting microstates to calculate the exact entropy of specific states.
• Reversibility: Discuss the differences in total entropy changes associated with reversible and irreversible processes (i.e. Clausius inequality)
• Cycles: Incorporate entropy (a state function) into calculations involving thermodynamic cycles and proposed efficiency
• Processes: Calculate entropy changes for common ideal gas process (isothermal, adiabatic, heating, cooling, etc) Phase Changes: Understand the relationship between entropy and enthalpy at substance phase transitions

Reading

• From the textbook:
  • Topic 3A-B
• POGIL Activities
  • Fundamental 5: Entropy
• Other:
  • Entropy
  • Entropy and Heat Engines
  • Heat Engines in the Real World
  • Carnot Cycle
  • Statistical Definition of Entropy (Boltzmann, multiplicity, etc.)
    • Multiplicity for Energy Distributions
    • Energy Distributions and Entropy
    • Multiplicity (some cool Bio examples)
    • Molecular-Level View of Entropy
  • Engel and Reid (alternative textbook): Chapter 5
  • McQuarrie (alternative textbook): Chapter 20

Important Terms

Sample Assessment Question

External Videos, Tutorials, Simulations

• Carnot Cycle Simulation
• PhET - Reversible Processes

Practice Problems

• From the textbook:
  • Exercises: 3A.1, 3A.3, 3A.7, 3A.8, 3A.10, 3B.1
  • Problems: 3A.2, 3A.7, 3A.9. 3A.13
• From other external sources:
  • Entropy and Heat Engines (focus on question 43 and beyond)

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