Thermodynamics
Lesson 2 of 3 6 min +40 XP

Entropy & the Second Law

Why disorder grows.

What you'll learn

  • Understand entropy & the second law
  • Apply it to real examples
  • Check yourself with a quiz
The shuffled deck

A neat deck of cards, once shuffled, never spontaneously sorts itself — disorder tends to grow. That one-way tendency is entropy, and it gives time its arrow.

Heat flows one way

The second law says total entropy (disorder) never decreases; heat flows spontaneously from hot to cold, not the reverse.

Knowledge Check

+10 XP / correct

1. Heat flows spontaneously from…

2. Entropy is a measure of…