Two objects,A and B,are placed in thermal contact.The entropy of object A decreases.What can be said about the relationship between the temperatures of the two objects? A)T_A T_B C)T_A = T_B D)not enough information to say

Question

Two objects,A and B,are placed in thermal contact.The entropy of object A decreases.What can be said about the relationship between the temperatures of the two objects? A)T_A < T_B B)T_A > T_B C)T_A = T_B D)not enough information to say

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The decrease in entropy of object A implies that its temperature has decreased. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat flows spontaneously from a hotter object to a colder object. Therefore, for object A's entropy to decrease, it must have become cooler than object B. Thus, we can say that T_A > T_B.

​Two Objects,A and B,are Placed in Thermal Contact

Two Objects,A and B,are Placed in Thermal Contact