page_title: Second law of thermodynamics
hierarchical_section_title: Second law of thermodynamics
context_page_description: The second law of thermodynamics says that when energy changes from one form to another form, or matter moves freely, entropy in a closed system increases.
  Differences in temperature, pressure, and density tend to even out horizontally after a while. Due to the force of gravity, density and pressure do not even out vertically. Density and pressure on the bottom will be more than at the top.
  Entropy is a measure of spread of matter and energy to everywhere they have access.
  The most common wording for the second law of thermodynamics is essentially due to Rudolf Clausius:
  “
  It is impossible to construct a device that produces no other effect than transfer of heat from lower temperature body to higher temperature body
  ”
  In other words, everything tries to maintain the same temperature over time.
  There are many statements of the second law which use different terms, but all mean the same thing. Another statement by Clausius is:
  Heat cannot of itself pass from a colder to a hotter body.
  An equivalent statement by Lord Kelvin is:
  A transformation whose only final result is to convert heat, extracted from a source at constant temperature, into work, is impossible.
context_section_description: The second law of thermodynamics says that when energy changes from one form to another form, or matter moves freely, entropy (disorder) in a closed system increases.
  Differences in temperature, pressure, and density tend to even out horizontally after a while. Due to the force of gravity, density and pressure do not even out vertically. Density and pressure on the bottom will be more than at the top.
  Entropy is a measure of spread of matter and energy to everywhere they have access.
  The most common wording for the second law of thermodynamics is essentially due to Rudolf Clausius:
  “
  It is impossible to construct a device that produces no other effect than transfer of heat from lower temperature body to higher temperature body
  ”
  In other words, everything tries to maintain the same temperature over time.
  There are many statements of the second law which use different terms, but all mean the same thing.   Another statement by Clausius is:
  Heat cannot of itself pass from a colder to a hotter body.
  An equivalent statement by Lord Kelvin is:
  A transformation whose only final result is to convert heat, extracted from a source at constant temperature, into work, is impossible.
   
  The second law only applies to large systems. The second law is about the likely behavior of a system where no energy or matter gets in or out. The bigger the system is, the more likely the second law will be true.
caption: A simple stylized diagram of a heat pump's vapor-compression refrigeration cycle: 1) condenser, 2) expansion valve, 3) evaporator, 4) compressor.