Abstract
The second law of thermodynamics states the increase of entropy, , for real processes from state A to state B at constant energy from chemistry over biological life and engines to cosmic events. The connection of entropy to information, phase-space, and heat is helpful but does not immediately convince observers of the validity and basis of the second law. This gave grounds for finding a rigorous, but more easily acceptable reformulation. Here, we show using statistical mechanics that this principle is equivalent to a force law in systems where mass centers and forces can be identified. The sign of this net force—the average mean force along a path from A to B—determines the direction of the process. The force law applies to a wide range of processes from machines to chemical reactions. The explanation of irreversibility by a driving force appears more plausible than the traditional formulation as it emphasizes the cause instead of the effect of motions.
Highlights
The second law of thermodynamics (SLT) is a fundamental and general empirical law of physics that is being discussed since it was articulated by Clausius [1] a long time ago
It states the permanent growth of entropy in the dynamics of all macroscopic systems from chemistry over biological life and engines to cosmic events and claims the existence of an arrow of time that seems to contradict the time-reversibility of classical and quantum mechanical theory
It is possible to deal with constant particle numbers ni and N = ∑ ni when not molecules, but nuclei are treated as different kinds of particles
Summary
The second law of thermodynamics (SLT) is a fundamental and general empirical law of physics that is being discussed since it was articulated by Clausius [1] a long time ago. It states the permanent growth of entropy in the dynamics of all macroscopic systems from chemistry over biological life and engines to cosmic events and claims the existence of an arrow of time that seems to contradict the time-reversibility of classical and quantum mechanical theory. The increase of that volume after the release of a constraint can be considered as self-evident [2]. It was shown that the onset of motion after the release of a constraint follows the SLT [3], but this glance at a particular situation does hardly increase the plausibility for the fact that the increase of entropy represents the dynamical background of the everyday macroscopic world
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