Which of the following has the greatest entropy an ice cube steam or a glass of water
Steam, of course. An ice cube has the least.
To determine which of the three options has the greatest entropy – an ice cube, steam, or a glass of water – let's start by understanding what entropy is.
Entropy is a measure of the randomness or disorder in a system. It can also be thought of as a measure of the number of ways the particles making up the system can be arranged. Generally, a system with more possible arrangements will have higher entropy.
Now, let's consider the three options:
1. Ice cube: An ice cube is a solid state of water. The water molecules in an ice cube are closely packed in a regular pattern. This regular arrangement limits the number of possible configurations, resulting in lower entropy compared to the other two options.
2. Steam: Steam is the gaseous state of water. In the gas phase, water molecules have much greater freedom of movement compared to the other two states. The particles can spread out and move in various directions freely. This increased randomness and freedom of movement leads to a higher number of possible configurations and thus higher entropy.
3. Glass of water: A glass of water is in its liquid state. While the water molecules in a liquid are less confined compared to an ice cube, they still have closer proximity to each other compared to the gas phase. Consequently, the liquid state has a lower entropy than the gaseous steam phase.
Therefore, the option with the greatest entropy is steam, followed by a glass of water (liquid), and finally, an ice cube (solid).