Entropy

Summary

This video begins with observations of spontaneous processes from daily life and then connects the idea of spontaneity to entropy. Entropy is described as a measure of the number of possible ways energy can be distributed in a system of molecules. Students apply this description to understand the entropy change in a heat diffusion experiment.

Learning Objectives

After watching this video students will be able to:

• Describe, at a basic level, the concept of a microstate.
• Discuss what entropy measures in a conceptual way.

Funding provided by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)

Developed by the Teaching and Learning Laboratory (TLL) at MIT for SUTD

MIT © 2012