Why entropy is denoted by s

So assuming Boltzmann actually used "H" , the original use is at least as early as that. Indeed thanks to t. Brush repeated Chapman's plea, and added that "Professor Chapman informed me, a couple of years ago, that he never received any response to this letter. The cited "elsewhere" is "S. Sign up to join this community.

The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Why is "h" used for entropy? Ask Question. Asked 9 years, 11 months ago. Active 8 years, 3 months ago. Viewed 10k times. Quinn Culver. Quinn Culver Quinn Culver 4, 1 1 gold badge 23 23 silver badges 44 44 bronze badges.

I'm hoping for an explanation of the original use. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Ilmari Karonen Ilmari Karonen I'll edit accordingly. Thanks though. It goes on to suggest that the initial "en-" was intended to parallel the "en-" in "energy", which is derived in part from "erg" which is related to "work".

In physical chemistry and thermodynamics, one of the most useful equations relates entropy to the internal energy U of a system:. Here, the change in internal energy dU equals absolute temperature T multiplied by the change in entropy minus external pressure p and the change in volume V. The second law of thermodynamics states the total entropy of a closed system cannot decrease. However, within a system, entropy of one system can decrease by raising entropy of another system.

Some scientists predict the entropy of the universe will increase to the point where the randomness creates a system incapable of useful work. When only thermal energy remains, the universe would be said to have died of heat death. However, other scientists dispute the theory of heat death. Some say the universe as a system moves further away from entropy even as areas within it increase in entropy. Others consider the universe as part of a larger system. Still others say the possible states do not have equal likelihood, so ordinary equations to calculate entropy do not hold valid.

A block of ice will increase in entropy as it melts. It's easy to visualize the increase in the disorder of the system. Ice consists of water molecules bonded to each other in a crystal lattice. As ice melts, molecules gain more energy, spread further apart, and lose structure to form a liquid. Similarly, the phase change from a liquid to a gas, as from water to steam, increases the energy of the system. On the flip side, energy can decrease. This occurs as steam changes phase into water or as water changes to ice.

The second law of thermodynamics is not violated because the matter is not in a closed system. While the entropy of the system being studied may decrease, that of the environment increases. Entropy is often called the arrow of time because matter in isolated systems tends to move from order to disorder.

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