Question

Do you expect \(\Delta S\) to be positive or negative for the freezing of water? Explain your reasoning.

Short answer

The entropy (\( \Delta S \)) for the freezing of water would be negative, indicating the system is becoming more ordered.

Step-by-step solution

Understand Changes in Entropy

Entropy (\( \Delta S \)) is a measure of the disorder of a system. A positive \( \Delta S \) means an increase in disorder, while a negative \( \Delta S \) means a decrease in disorder.

Understand the Context

The context here involves the change from liquid water to solid ice, which is a phase transition.

Apply Knowledge of Entropy and Phase Transitions

Generally, the solid phase of a substance (such as ice) is less disordered than its liquid phase (like water). Therefore, when water freezes and becomes ice, the system becomes more ordered.

Reach a Conclusion

Since the system goes from a more disordered state (liquid water) to a less disordered state (solid ice), the entropy (\( \Delta S \)) decreases. Thus, \( \Delta S \) should be negative.