![What is Entropy ,[object Object],[object Object],High Randomness High Disorder Low Randomness Low Disorder Low Entropy High Entropy Examples: gallon of gas, prepared food, sunlight have low entropy. When these are “used” their entropy increases Mingus, C. (2005, April 15). Two opposing types of order. Retrieved from http://www.everythingforever.com/st_order3.htm](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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Energy, Entrophy, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and how it relates to the Environment
- 1. Entropy and 2 nd Law of Thermodynamics & its Environmental Impact. Bo Chen COMM 1010
- 3. What is the 2 nd Law of Thermodynamics Entropy in an isolated system that is not in equilibrium will tend to increase over time until it reaches a maximum equilibrium level If you keep the door open between two adjoining rooms of different temperatures the cooler room will become warmer and the warmer room will cool down until they both reach the same final temperature Hardy, M. (2009, November 18). Second law of thermodynamics. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics
- 4. No “Free Lunch” All perpetual motion machines violate the law of thermodynamics because efficiency is always lost and entropy always increases in any given process. There is no free or perpetual energy. Ex: Ethanol is a “ net energy sink ” that consumes more energy than it produces because efficiency is lost at each stage of conversion process. Greene, B. (2003). The elegant universe: Superstrings, hidden dimensions, and the quest for the ultimate theory. "City:New York City." W.W. Norton & Co..
- 5. The Sun’s role in all of this Our sun's low entropy (high order) source of energy shines down to earth and supplies all plants with power through the process of photosynthesis Except for nuclear and geothermal energy, all other sources of energy are ultimately from the sun Penrose, R. (2007). The road to reality: A complete guide to the laws of the universe. "City: New York City." Vintage.
Editor's Notes
- Today I will be presenting a rhetorical speech on Entropy and the 2 nd Law of Thermodynamics and its impact and relation to our Environment.
- This page owns part of its research to Charles Mingus 2008 website at everythingforever.com Broadly speaking, Entropy is a measurement of the degree of randomness of energy in any system of particles. You can think of Entropy as a term used to describe the level of order-ness of any given isolated system. Low Entropy Energy – which is energy in a highly ordered and compact form – is more useful to us than Energy in a high entropy (and thus low order) form. Some examples of this are gasoline, food and sunlight (elaborate…..)
- Some portion of this slides research should be credited to Matt Hardy 2009 at Wikipedia.org The second law of thermodynamics tells us that Entropy in any given system tends to increase over time until it reaches a equilibrium level. If you place a drop of red dye into a glass of water the redness will slowly disperse itself until the red dye has been equally diluted throughout the entire glass of water. If you keep the door open between two adjoining rooms of different temperatures the cooler room will become warmer and the warmer room will cool down until they both reach the same final temperature. Notice the reverse never occurs, with the exception of pumps, refrigerators and air conditioning and other such devices will I will get at later.
- Some ideas were influenced and incorporated from Brian Greens’ 2003 The elegant Universe. There has long been a fallacy that we may someday come across a device that gives us free or perpetual energy. The 2 nd law of thermodynamics puts this pipedream to rest because it states that efficiency is always lost and entropy always increases in any given process. Even though the law of conservation of mass and energy states that total energy in any isolated system will remain the same, our global consumption of resources always irreversibly transforms the useful low entropy energy into useless states of high entropy energy. Keep this in mind whenever you are presented with ideas of new sources of alternative or renewable energy. Explain Ethanol Scam in detail…..
- The diagram is borrowed from Roger Penrose (2007), The Road to Reality. We all know what the sun is and what it does for us. What most people may not know is that the energy supplied by the sun would be totally useless if it was not for the fact that our sun is a hot spot in an otherwise cold background. For the sun’s energy to be useful to us at all it firsts must be in a low entropy form, and secondly it must exists in a thermal disequilibrium. By the process of photosynthesis the sun’s low entropy energy is absorbed by plants to decrease their own entropy. Except for nuclear and geothermal energy, all other sources of energy are ultimately from the sun
- Going one step further, we see that herbivores consume plant materials to lower their own systems of entropy. Carnivores eat the herbivores and so on and so forth. As human beings we are on the top of the food chain and are least efficient and most wasteful. Our actions have the largest negative multiplier effect that degrades the entire ecosystem. Additionally, all carbon hydro and petroleum sources of energy such as coal, oil, natural gas, etc own their low entropy energy form from algae and plants that lowered their own entropy via the sun’s lowest entropy. Remember since in each additional process entropy always increases this means life forms on the highest levels of the pyramid (scheme) need to consume and transform exponentially more low entropy energy into useless form of higher entropy energy in order just to sustain their way of life.
- If the 2nd law states that entropy always increases (become less ordered) in every process then what accounts for higher ordered nature of the human body, a clean room, or the structure of civilization? In each case the low entropy locally is derived at the expense of increased entropy globally. I can clean a room because of the low entropy of food, society can build highways, airports and skyscrapers because it burns petroleum and other low entropy sources of power and thereby increase total entropy in an isolated system (earth)
- I hope this was enough to show that because we humans are on the top of the pyramid chain we necessarily consume disproportionate amount of resources and produce order of magnitudes more pollution than anything else on earth. Wealth Americans have the ability to more massively reduce their own local entropy levels directly at the expense of increasing total global entropy that much faster for the rest of us. So Bill Gates and Warren Buffet first making their billions and then helping out the less fortunate is quite ironic from a standpoint of energy and thermodynamics. Sometimes the best footprint to leave is none at all, this may sound poetic or idealistic but it is a physical and mathematical truth. If everyone in the world were to aspire to achieve the american dream we would need 7 earths to satisfy our energy, land, resource, water, and mineral demands. There is no “free lunch”. We always pay for our actions - no such thing as free energy or clean energy
- In conclusion, Everything that we do increases entropy and makes our environment worse. Humans are on top of the pyramid, our actions have largest ripple effects. The best approach to conserve the environment is to do more with less and practice art of reduction. Instead of recycling paper cups how about just use a real cup? Instead of purchasing a hybrid how about try driving less in the first place.. Instead of helping sponsor a child or joining Amnesty International how about start looking within and start with changes at home by decreasing our consumption and expenditures? This is the memorable quote: sometimes the best footprint to leave for the next generation is none at all..