Suppose you had 10 identical molecules enclosed by a box At

Suppose you had 10 identical molecules enclosed by a box. At a given instant, one molecule has an energy of 100 Joules, and the others are all stationary.

(A) What is the average kinetic energy of the 10 molecules?

(B) Is this a situation of high or low entropy?

(C) What happens to the energy and entropy of the molecules in the box as time passes? Does your answer depend on the insulation of the box?

Solution

a) the average kknetic enrgy of the particle = Sum of kinetic energy of all particles / number of particles

                                                                      = 100J +0+0+0+0+ . / 10

´                                                                      =10 J / particle

b) This is a low entropy state not a high entropy state ,

because the number of states possible with the given configuration is low ; but this state is not zero entropy state .

c) If the system is insulated or perfectly closed as the time passes the entropy of the system of molecules increases ;the entropy of a closed system can never decrease . And the energy of the system remains conserved in a closed system.

if the system is not well insulated , it is possible that the entropy of the system either decrease or increases and also the energy due to the exchange with the surroundings .