What is an increase in entropy?

Answer 1

In almost every process there is an increase in the entropy in the universe. For example, lets say your room is dirty so you think you are decreasing entropy by cleaning it up (decreasing disorder). The truth is that you expend a great amount of energy cleaning your room, and that energy is ultimately released into the universe as heat energy. That heat energy is a less ordered form of energy than the form you received it in, which are the chemical bonds in food. The chemical bonds in food are relatively ordered, but heat energy is very random. heat energy dissipates into the universe randomly, with little order or integrity. So you see, no process conserves all the energy in the process, as some energy is dissipated, or "wasted", as heat energy. When you hit a pool ball into another, the friction between the balls takes some of the energy of the collision away, in the form of friction. Friction generates heat (as you know from rubbing your hands togeter in the cold). I hope these brief examples demonstrate that all processes increase the entropy of the universe (in the form of heat energy).

Answer 2

In short, it is an increase in two things within a given system.

1. increase in disorder

2. increase in the % of unusable energy

Answer 3

Increasing entropy: irreversible changes in the system, disorder.

Answer 4

An increase of entropy is practically equivalent to more disorder.

Answer 5

ANY process will result in the increase of total entropy.