Question

A statement of the second law of thermodynamics is that:__________.

Answer 1

Answer:

in a spontaneous process, the entropy of the universe increases.

Explanation:

Entropy is a measure of of the degree of  randomness or disorderliness in a system.

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated as follows; "in any spontaneous process, the entropy of the universe increases."  

The universe here refers to the system's disorder and the disorder of the surroundings.  Therefore, a spontaneous process can occur, in which the entropy of the system decreases, only if the entropy increases in the surroundings.

For instance, when ice freezes, the entropy of liquid water decreases, that is, the entropy of the system decreases. However, heat is given off to the surroundings and the entropy of the surroundings increases. This is an obvious expression of this law.