When a parcel of water freezes to become ice, it becomes more ordered and its entropy decreases. Does this violate the alternate form of second law of thermodynamics? Explain.

Imagine organizing a jumble of colored balls into neat rows according to their color. This action of organizing represents a decrease in entropy, which is a measure of disorder in a system. The second law of thermodynamics suggests that entropy, in an isolated system, tends not to decrease because systems naturally progress towards disorder and randomness.

However, the creation of order in one part, such as the neatly arranged balls, doesn't necessarily mean the overall entropy decreases. Energy expended during the organizing process increases the entropy of the surroundings. This concept is crucial in understanding the second law, showing that the law isn't violated as long as the total entropy of the system and surroundings does not decrease.

A closed system is like a room with its windows and doors shut. Energy, such as heat, can be exchanged with the environment, but matter, like air or water, cannot. In the case of the freezing water, the closed system would include the water and the surrounding environment capable of exchanging heat.

As water freezes within this closed system, its internal entropy may decrease, but this is perfectly allowable as long as the entropy of the surroundings increases by at least that much or more. The second law's focus is on this net effect; the internal ordering of particles is only one part of the story.

The transition from liquid to solid, such as water turning to ice, is intriguing because it seems to contradict the idea of increasing disorder. When water freezes, the molecules arrange into a crystalline structure, which is more orderly and has lower entropy compared to the disordered liquid state.

However, freezing of water is an exothermic process; it releases energy. This release compensates for the entropy decrease in water by increasing the entropy of the surroundings, which could include the air or a container holding the water. Here, the water and surroundings are considered together, establishing that the overall entropy is maintained or increased.

When discussing the energy release during the freezing of water, we address the heat that is given off to the surroundings. This heat increases the motion of particles in the surroundings, leading to a rise in entropy. The heat released is essential in maintaining the balance prescribed by the second law of thermodynamics.

The concept of energy release during freezing is a demonstration of energy's role in raising the entropy of the surroundings to uphold the second law. It is this flow of energy that maintains the universal tendency towards a state of greater overall disorder, despite localized decreases in entropy like the freezing of water.