Question

Entropy can be conceptually understood as a measure of:

• A. Pressure within a system
• B. Disorder or randomness in a system
• C. The energy unavailable to do work
• D. Temperature changes in a system

Hint:

Think of entropy as a measure of molecular disorder: the more possible configurations, the higher the entropy.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Entropy is a central concept in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, often described qualitatively as a measure of disorder or randomness in a system.
Step 2: From a statistical point of view, entropy quantifies the number of microscopic configurations (\( W \)) corresponding to a system’s macroscopic state. Boltzmann's formula gives: \[ S = k \ln W \] where \( S \) is entropy, \( k \) is Boltzmann's constant, and \( W \) is the number of microstates.
Step 3: Higher entropy implies greater randomness or disorder. For example, gases have higher entropy than liquids, and liquids have higher entropy than solids.
Why the other options are incorrect:

• (A) Pressure is a state variable but unrelated to entropy's conceptual definition.
• (C) While entropy does relate to energy dispersion, this definition is indirect and less intuitive.
• (D) Entropy may vary with temperature, but it does not measure temperature change.