Spontaneous process: Difference between revisions
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The term is used to refer to macro irreversible processes in which [[entropy]] increases; such as a smell diffusing in a room, ice melting in lukewarm water, salt dissolving in water, and iron rusting. |
The term is used to refer to macro irreversible processes in which [[entropy]] increases; such as a smell diffusing in a room, ice melting in lukewarm water, salt dissolving in water, and iron rusting. |
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The laws of [[thermodynamics]] govern the direction of a spontaneous process, |
The laws of [[thermodynamics]] govern the direction of a spontaneous process, ensuring that if a sufficiently large number of individual interactions (like [[atom]]s colliding) are involved then the direction will [[Almost surely|always]] be in the direction of increased entropy (since entropy increase is a [[statistical]] phenomenon). |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 02:02, 7 November 2007
A spontaneous process is "a physical or chemical change that occurs without the addition of energy."[1] It can also be described as a "process that will occur without any energy input from the surroundings [or a] process that will occur on its own."[2] The process can be fast or slow; "spontaneous" says nothing about its speed.[3]
The term is used to refer to macro irreversible processes in which entropy increases; such as a smell diffusing in a room, ice melting in lukewarm water, salt dissolving in water, and iron rusting.
The laws of thermodynamics govern the direction of a spontaneous process, ensuring that if a sufficiently large number of individual interactions (like atoms colliding) are involved then the direction will always be in the direction of increased entropy (since entropy increase is a statistical phenomenon).