Physical significance of entropy or of the second law

by Joseph Frederic Klein

grows and from Eq. (4), [p. 50], that

diminishes. MAXWELL'S Law, given by Eq. (5), [p. 50], shows for a given velocity

that the number

of molecules possessing the given velocity is less in the final state than it was in the initial state, and as the total number

of molecules in the gas is unchanged, there will be a greater variety of velocities in the final state. This makes the number of possible permutations greater in the final state, thus increasing the number of complexions; consequently, as entropy varies with the logarithm of the number of complexions, we see that the entropy of the final state is greater than in the initial state and this agrees with experience.

Isobaric Change