Richard D. Sauerheber
This monograph clarifies thermodynamic theories by examining several physical, biological,
and chemical systems in nature. The compromise between achieving a maximum entropy, which drives a
process forward, but a minimum energy in a system to achieve stability in an equilibrium condition, governs
the characteristics of change in nature. Whether it is growth of an organism, the propagation of light and
mass through space, the reactivity of chemical processes, or the energy changes in physical processes such
as the formation and then dissipation of hurricanes or the freeze-thaw cycles of sea ice, the total entropy or
randomness of the system and surroundings must be positive in order to proceed forward. However, systems at
equilibrium where no further entropy change occurs are still characterized with much dynamism. And favorable
entropy alone does not ensure a particular process will proceed for a variety of reasons, all consistent with the
fundamental laws of thermodynamics.
