Entropy

venomxx

I considered entropy to never decrease in an isolated system, so im a little confused when i read about how molecules 'self assemble' to lower interfacial energy which leads to an ordering of the system....

Is this ordering not a decrease in entropy violating the law that it always increases?

Im just a little confused, so if anyone can explain this id appriciate it!

James Leighe

Ordering decreases entropy for the thing that's being ordered, but it increases entropy elsewhere. You have to make sure that your 'closed system' includes ALL interacting particles etc.

Example, humans eat apples to order themselves by destroying the order of the apple. The apple became ordered by using energy from the sun etc.

alxm

It's not an isolated system.