Question

8th Grade Science Help!

The second law of thermodynamics states that heat cannot flow from one body to a hotter body. A spin-off of this statement is that all things in the universe tend to seek the lowest energy state - maximum randomness or maximum disorder.

If this is true, how can an oak tree exist?

Help please! And an explanation if possible. :)

Answer 1

A.
This law applies only to closed physical systems, and because the oak tree is a self-sufficient biological system that makes its own food, this law does not apply. All biological life is organized, which is why it exists.

B.
This law applies only to physical systems that require heat or thermal energy. An oak tree is a biological system that requires only the radiant energy of the sun and the chemical energy created by the process of photosynthesis.

Answer 2

C.
This law applies to a closed system, and the oak tree is an open system because energy enters as sunlight. This input of energy overcomes the tendency toward randomness, and an organized system (in this case, life) can result.

D.
This law applies to systems only at the atomic level. While the oak tree has atoms, those atoms are organized into cells and the cells are organized into the systems of the tree. This level of organization overcomes the tendency toward randomness in the tree.