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Chemistry / Unit 11   Chem 2071 short lesson, about 20 seconds

Twin: Entropy Is Not Disorder

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The idea

Calling entropy "disorder" is a loose description, not the definition; entropy is the count of accessible microstates, and where the two labels diverge, microstate count wins.

In practice

Dissolving a solid in water raises entropy because far more particle arrangements become accessible, a fact "disorder" describes only by accident.

Where people slip

Treating "looks more disordered" as grounds for a higher-entropy verdict skips the actual test.

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