The definition of entropy from a statistical mechanics perspective, is roughly a count of the number of different (microscopic) configurations, \Omega, of a system. When all the configurations are equally probable, you get the formula
S ~ log(\Omega)
I don't think you see this definition in a physics education until you do a course on statistical mechanics? I feel like I certainly had teachers say "disorder". I think the connection being that if there are more configurations it's more "disordered" which isn't really a precise thing.
Looking back, I think rambling about ideal gases/pressure/volumes is a boring way to teach this subject (at least at late high school/first year uni). You should probably introduce it by talking about configurations and information. You can think of some very clear examples (configurations of a list of objects for example, it doesn't necessarily have to be "physical"). Then maybe you would go on to show that this is connected to macroscopic physical properties.
> I don't think you see this definition in a physics education until you do a course on statistical mechanics?
I'm over 60, and I only recent discovered the definition of entropy recently thanks to Leonard Susskind youtube videos. For 60 bloody years I only got the dumbed down version about "disorder" and it made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Now I see the same confusion in others - like here on HN were to people where duking it out over whether one arrangement of a pack of cards (all individually identifiable of course) had more entropy than the other.
This dumbing down does nobody any favors whatsoever. It certainly doesn't promote understanding of the basic principles.
S ~ log(\Omega)
I don't think you see this definition in a physics education until you do a course on statistical mechanics? I feel like I certainly had teachers say "disorder". I think the connection being that if there are more configurations it's more "disordered" which isn't really a precise thing.
Looking back, I think rambling about ideal gases/pressure/volumes is a boring way to teach this subject (at least at late high school/first year uni). You should probably introduce it by talking about configurations and information. You can think of some very clear examples (configurations of a list of objects for example, it doesn't necessarily have to be "physical"). Then maybe you would go on to show that this is connected to macroscopic physical properties.