Added: 3 years ago
From: Textra1
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  • No doubt there is a very strong relation between them. There's no situation where the availability to do work goes up if entropy goes up.

    I probably would've stated it's related to the availability of a system's energy to do work and not that it IS that availability. Or I would have said it's the inavailability of that system's energy to do work.

    I wasn't kidding when I said I was nitpicking. It's clear, regardless of symantics that you know what you're talking about:). Hence solid A.

  • Wait, you're right. I stand corrected. A better definition is; Entropy is a measure of the energy that is not available for work.

  • Thanks for the tip. It's good to have better definitions for things.

  • I would also give you a good grade. Perhaps not an A+, but it would be no less than an A-. The only "error" I saw was really your definition of entropy (I assure you, I'm really nitpicking here).

    If entropy was "the availability of a system's energy to do work" and 2nd law stated "entropy must stay the same or increase" then that means the availability of a system's energy to do work would increase over time (quite the opposite is true). That's why I never liked that definition. Solid A.

  • yup.

    A+

    Let me guess - you're an atheist?

    (I ask because so far, only atheists have been able to 'pass the test')

  • I'm always reluctant to use the word atheist. It has too many connotations attached to it, but yes, I guess most people would describe me as such.

  • I know what you mean, and it's something I wrestle with.

    Check out these vids by Sam Harris for more on the topic (he is of the opinion that we should perhaps drop the word altogether):

    watch?v=3KG5s_-Khvg

    watch?v=LWPys6s2BVg

  • I had seen the first vid before. It's one of my favourite of Harris. The second vid is new to me though. Thanks for those. I quite enjoy Sam Harris's lectures.

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