According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the entropy of an isolated system tends to increase over time. However, there are some instances in which local entropy can decrease temporarily, while still upholding the overall increase in entropy of the entire system. Here are a few examples of entropy decrease in real-life systems, occurring naturally without human intervention:
Crystal Formation: When a liquid or gas undergoes a phase transition and forms a crystalline solid, the entropy of the system decreases. In the process, the particles become more ordered and arranged in a regular lattice structure. However, the overall entropy of the system and its surroundings still increases due to factors such as the dissipation of heat and increased molecular disorder outside the crystal structure.
Living Organisms: Organisms can locally decrease entropy by maintaining highly ordered structures and processes within their bodies. Living organisms are complex systems that exhibit low entropy internally (high organization) while releasing entropy into their environment. They achieve this by utilizing energy from their surroundings to maintain their internal organization and carry out various metabolic processes.
Self-assembly and Self-organization: In certain systems, self-assembly processes can occur, leading to a temporary decrease in entropy. For example, molecular self-assembly, where molecules arrange themselves into ordered structures spontaneously, can result in a local entropy decrease. Similarly, self-organizing systems, such as flocking behavior in birds or pattern formation in chemical reactions, exhibit emergent order despite the increase in entropy at the system level.
Low-Probability Events: Occasionally, low-probability events can occur that result in apparent entropy decrease. For instance, the spontaneous alignment of particles in a gas or the chance arrangement of objects in a room can temporarily decrease the local entropy. However, these occurrences are statistically improbable and do not violate the overall trend of entropy increase in the larger system.
It's important to note that these local entropy decreases are often accompanied by increases in entropy elsewhere, ensuring that the overall entropy of the entire system (including both the local and surrounding regions) continues to increase as required by the Second Law of Thermodynamics.