One kg of water at room temperature is brought into contact with a hig...
The correct answer to the question is option 'D' - the entropy change is always positive.
Explanation:
Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness of a system. In thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system always increases or remains constant. In other words, the total entropy of the universe always increases.
When one kilogram of water at room temperature is brought into contact with a high-temperature thermal reservoir, heat will flow from the reservoir to the water until both reach thermal equilibrium. During this process, there are two important factors to consider: the change in entropy of the water and the change in entropy of the thermal reservoir.
Entropy Change of the Water:
As heat is transferred from the high-temperature reservoir to the water, the water's temperature increases. This increase in temperature leads to an increase in the internal energy of the water molecules, resulting in an increase in the randomness or disorder of the water molecules. Therefore, the entropy of the water increases.
Entropy Change of the Thermal Reservoir:
The high-temperature thermal reservoir loses heat to the water, causing its temperature to decrease. This decrease in temperature leads to a decrease in the internal energy of the reservoir, resulting in a decrease in the randomness or disorder of the reservoir molecules. Therefore, the entropy of the thermal reservoir decreases.
Entropy Change of the Universe:
The total change in entropy of the universe is the sum of the entropy changes of the water and the thermal reservoir. Since the entropy of the water increases and the entropy of the thermal reservoir decreases, the total change in entropy of the universe is positive. This means that the entropy of the universe always increases when a system is brought into contact with a high-temperature thermal reservoir.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'D' - the entropy change of the universe is always positive.