Entropy Production

Entropy production refers to the generation of disorder or randomness within a system when it is not in equilibrium with its surroundings. In non-equilibrium thermodynamics, this occurs when energy is exchanged or transformed, leading to irreversible processes—like heat flow or diffusion. As these processes unfold, the total entropy of the system and its environment increases, reflecting the tendency of nature to evolve towards more probable, disordered states. Essentially, entropy production measures how much a system strays from equilibrium and illustrates the direction of spontaneous change in natural processes.