A hot piece of iron is thrown into the ocean and its temperature eventually stabilizes.Which of the following statements concerning this process is correct? (There may be more than one correct choice.)
A) The entropy lost by the iron is equal to the entropy gained by the ocean.
B) The entropy gained by the iron is equal to the entropy lost by the ocean.
C) The change in the entropy of the iron-ocean system is zero.
D) The ocean gains more entropy than the iron loses.
E) The ocean gains less entropy than the iron loses.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ocean gains more entropy than the iron loses because when heat is transferred from a hotter object (the iron) to a colder one (the ocean), the increase in entropy of the colder object is greater than the decrease in entropy of the hotter object. This is due to the fact that entropy change is related to the amount of heat transferred divided by the temperature at which the transfer occurs, and the ocean's larger mass and lower temperature mean it can absorb heat with a greater increase in entropy.

A Hot Piece of Iron Is Thrown into the Ocean