Termodinâmica, um tutorial para entendimento do conceito de entropia

Abstract

This dissertation is intended to be used by high school teachers and contains a set of concepts that leads to the understanding of entropy and its applications in the classroom. It begins with the definition of thermodynamics, through the study of the first and second law, showing the relevance of choice of the thermodynamic system, the nature of its boundaries, the variables of the thermodynamic transformations, ending with Carnot cycle and the reversibility and irreversibility concepts. The ideas of microstates and macrostates is introduced with the use of models easy to be used in the classroom, enabling the students to obtain quantitative results for disorder and therefore for entropy. The increase of entropy is associated with irreversible transformations and with energy degradation leading to effects on life and on the environment. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide tools for teachers, so that the Carnot cycle and the entropy concept can be used more significantly, with a broader view allowing teachers and high school students to have a better understanding of natural phenomena appreciating to learn new concepts.