The Second Law of Thermodynamics states, "When two systems
at different temperatures interact, heat energy is transferred
spontaneously from the hotter system to the colder system
(Knight 519)." Although this may sound like a simple
statement, without this transfer of heat energy, life as we know
it would not exist. A fire would not warm you on a cold
night, nor would the sun heat our planet and it would just be a
cold rock in space. The fact that this heat transfer
occurs spontaneously, meaning it happens without additional
energy requirements, allows us to utilize this property to do
all sorts of great things. Baking, especially when it is
apple pie, happens to be one of my favorite applications of The
Second Law.
