Which of the following statements is(are) true?

I. The entropy change of a system is equal and opposite to the surroundings for any irreversible process.

II. The entropy of the system must increase in any spontaneous process.

Question

Which of the following statements is(are) true?

I. The entropy change of a system is equal and opposite to the surroundings for any irreversible process.

II. The entropy of the system must increase in any spontaneous process.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let's analyze the two statements one by one in the context of thermodynamics and entropy.
Option I: The entropy change of a system is equal and opposite to the surroundings for any irreversible process.
- This is not generally true. For an irreversible process, the total entropy change of the universe (system plus surroundings) is greater than zero, S_universe = ΔS_system + ΔS_surroundings > 0. The equality and opposite change in entropy between system and surroundings would imply an overall zero entropy change, which only holds for a reversible process. Therefore, claiming that the system's entropy change is always equal and opposite to that of the surroundings during an irreversible process is incorrect.
Option II: The entropy of the system must increase in any spontaneous process.
- This statement is also incorrect. In a spontaneous process, the total entropy must increase (or stay the same in idealized reversible cases). However, the system’s entropy need not increase; it can decrease if the surroundings experience a larger increase in entropy. For example, in certain heat transfer scenarios or chemical processes, the surroundings may gain entropy more than the system loses, leading to a net positive entropy change for the universe even when ΔS_system < 0. Thus, it is not required that the system’s entropy always increases in a spontaneous process.

Putting these analyses together, neither statement I nor statement II is true in general. Consequently, the correct choice is the option that asserts that neither I nor II is true.

Which of the following statements is(are) true? I. The entropy change of a system is equal and opposite to the surroundings for any irreversible process. II. The entropy of the system must increase in any spontaneous process. Single choice

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