What is Entropy?

Entropy of a system represents the degree of randomness of a system. Higher the randomness of the molecules in a system, more is the entropy of the system. Thus gases have the highest entropy among 3 states of matter. Entropy may also be defined as the thermal energy of a system per unit temperature.

Entropy Formula

If we denote entropy by S, internal energy by Q and temperature by T, then relation between them can be mathematically represented as:

S = Q/T

If we use entropy change, internal energy change and temperature then the Entropy Change Formula is,

ΔS = ΔQ/T

Note: Entropy of the universe is always increasing.

Examples of Entropy

Some real life examples of entropy are as follows:

• The smoke of an incense cone always expands and spreads in the room which shows the increase in entropy.
• Universe always favors the process which increases entropy. For example, melting of ice is a natural phenomenon and happens on its own as it leads to increase in entropy of the ice when it changes from solid state to liquid state.

Enthalpy and Entropy are important concepts in thermodynamics that relate heat and work. Enthalpy can be defined as the total energy in a system, whereas entropy is defined as the thermal energy of a system per unit temperature. Thus the major difference between enthalpy and entropy is that enthalpy is a type or kind of energy of the system whereas entropy is only a property of the system as a whole.

In this article, we will learn about Enthalpy, Entropy, the Difference between Enthalpy and Entropy, and others in detail.