Question

A book falls from a table. Suppose some of the thermal energy within the book is spontaneously converted into kinetic energy making the book rise to the level of the table. Is such a situation consistent with the Law of Conservation of Energy? Explain. Suppose this situation did happen. Would there be anything you could measure about the book, aside from height, that would be different while it was in the air compared to when it was on the ground (hint: think about what energy changes would occur)? Use the Law of Entropy to explain why you will never see a book rise on its own. Be sure to describe what objects would experience changing entropy and why.

Answer 1

From the law of coservation of energy this situation is not possible because the kinetic enegy book gains will be spent in to cease the momentum in downward direction and negligible amount of heat . As heat is too much low as wll as the inertial mass of the book , book will not rise to the height of table. As consrvation of energy states there should not be any non-conservative force while fricition is non-conservative , so conservation of energy would not be applicable. If this situation happens aside from height we can calculate the rise in temperature as temperature has given it kinetic energy. From the law of entropy , entropy is equal to the change in heat energy per unit temperature and as all energy of book is used thus no change in entropy of the book but change in the entropy of the system in which book is , and this is not reversible process thus book will not rise.