Anti-Entropy Set

The set consists of an Entropy Demonstrator and a 42-page manual. The manual examines presentations of the entropy concept and offers an intuitive approach that characterizes entropy as the capacity of a system to store low grade energy. Four demonstrations and two student activities to illustrate how this approach clarifies understanding of entropy change and reversibility. The Entropy Demonstrator consists of two concentric clear acrylic cylinders with a handle to allow the inner cylinder to be rotated. In use, the cylinders are filled with a very viscous clear liquid such as Karo syrup or glycerin. Using a special pipette included in the kit, a vertical line of food coloring is injected into the liquid between the cylinders. Because of the slow diffusion rates in the viscous liquid, the color line remains intact for long periods, allowing the handle to be rotated to produce a disordered state, then reversed to return to the ordered state, illustrating a reversible process. In contrast, the diffusion of a drop of food color into the liquid is an irreversible process. The concept is applied to mixing processes, phase changes, the activation of chemical reactions, and more.



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