One way of interpreting the second law of thermodynamics is to say that, in any process, the net change in entropy is always positive. We could call this the entropy form of the second law of thermodynamics.
An ice cube sitting on a metal plate will melt quite quickly.
(1) Explain why the ice cube will melt quickly.
(2) Explain how the net change in entropy is positive despite energy being removed from the surroundings of the ice cube.
(3) If the ice cube has a mass of 10 g, calculate the change in entropy of the ice cube. (The specific latent heat of fusion of water is 334 kJ kg−1 .)