If things go from order to disorder, and never the other way around, how is matter formed so delicately in a mother's womb to form a living breathing human?
2006-07-28 07:59:03 · 7 answers · asked by Brianman3 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Well, things *do* go from disorder to order under some circumstances. For example, if the temperature is low enough, water (which is a disordered liquid) will spontaneously freeze into ice (which is an ordered crystaline solid). So your understanding of the second law is faulty.
The thing that you are missing is that the entropy of a *closed* system has to increase. However, an open system can have decreased entropy if there is enough energy released into the environment (which decreases the entropy of the rest of the universe). For the case of life, there is a huge energy influx whenever we eat. This can shift the entropy equation well to the side of decreasing entropy. For the case of plants, the sunlight coming in does the same thing. In essence, life is run by the energy of the sun counteracting the effects of entropy.
2006-07-28 08:26:22 · answer #1 · answered by mathematician 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion there is no contradiction. It states that the entropy or disorder of the universe goes on increasing. It does not forbid any order formation in a system which is open to surroundings. All biological systems are open systems. If you find something becoming orderly disorder is produced in the surroundings and the total disorder of the universe increases. For a pregnant woman you only see the orderly baby that is formed and miss the other activities of the mother like perspiring exhaling excreting which is increasing the disorder and entropy of the surroundings. If you sum up both these you would see that the total entropy of the universe or disorder in the universe increases all the same.
2006-07-28 08:28:41 · answer #2 · answered by Let'slearntothink 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You do not understand the 2nd Law yet, you know just enough to confuse yourself. Keep studying.
For a closed system, only the Total Entropy must increase, but that doesn't mean you cannot have more order in place A and thus less in place B within the system, by expending work (and consequently creating more entropy) at place A. This happens all the time, for example when you clean your room.
2006-07-28 09:04:58 · answer #3 · answered by 1,1,2,3,3,4, 5,5,6,6,6, 8,8,8,10 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The process of going from order to disorder releases energy. The process of creating order requires an enormous energy input. That's why pregnant women get so hungry. But once this beautiful delicate life is formed , it immediately starts to fall into disorder again, and even the input of massive quantities of energy only serve to sustain it for a finite time.
2006-07-28 08:05:17 · answer #4 · answered by dig4words 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Things go from order to disorder without energy or work stopping it.
Entropy can decrease if energy is used to make it so. Ask your mother if she thinks it took energy for you to develop.
2006-07-28 08:06:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you they do contradict each other. And I think that's the way people wanted it to be,it must be an adventure...
2006-07-28 08:05:55 · answer #6 · answered by blinkatz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God made it that way.
2006-07-28 08:06:41 · answer #7 · answered by Sunian 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋