Jump to content

sethoflagos

Senior Members
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by sethoflagos

  1. This has been a common trope running round most of the pop-science channels on Youtube over the last year or so. I won't name names but I guess some of you know some of the channels in question. It starts with a box with N particles randomly dotted around inside it. The presenter then changes the cartoon to one where all the dots are shown on the left hand side of the box and states 'Statistical Mechanics says that all random configurations of particles are possible, therefore sometime eventually this low entropy configuration will occur, therefore the 2nd Law only applies sometimes'. Leaving aside the macroscopic shift in centre of mass that shows dereliction of the 1st Law (an easy fix if they cared about it), they present this extraordinary claim without stating what quantities are preserved in the analysis, what if anything has happened to the momentum distribution in the half box scenario, or whether 'statistical mechanics says' the system will ever find its way back to its original thermal equilibrium. Have I missed something somewhere, or is it all just clickbait BS?

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.