Second Law of Thermodynamics

Definition

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the total entropy, or disorder, in an isolated system can only increase over time. It also states that heat cannot spontaneously flow from a colder location to a hotter area.

Analogy

Imagine you're trying to clean your room. You start with a perfectly tidy space (low entropy), but as you move things around and make decisions about where stuff goes, the room gets messier (higher entropy). No matter how hard you try, it's impossible to keep everything perfectly organized all the time - this is like the second law of thermodynamics.

Related terms

Entropy: A measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

Isolated System: A system that does not exchange matter or energy with its surroundings.

Heat Transfer: The movement of thermal energy from one thing to another thing of different temperature.