I have many friends that deny that law of the conservation of energy. If it were not true, what would entropy be like? If energy is being created, wouldn't coffee not become room temperature?

 

I am new to the forums so I am not sure if this belongs in the pseudoscience area or not.

All entropy states is that all things go from order to disorder in an isolated system.

 

 

If the law of conservation of energy were not true, for example, energy was created, we would have some very serious problems... coffee not being room temperature would only be the tip of the iceberg.

What are some examples of the serious problems?

Out of curiosity, who are said friends and what are their objections?

 

(Curiosity. Honest. Not part of a great scientific conspiracy to silence those who disagree with thermodynamics. Shh.)

It was really about a philosophical discussion. I suggested that because the universe is highly differentiated and is constantly coming to sameness, it must have had a start (Big Bang) and is not eternal. If there was no beginning (not expanding) then there is no reason why total entropy has not taken place.

I'm not aware of any breaches of the law of entropy. The universe is an open system. Thus, even though the system as a whole is increasing in entropy, there are pockets of decreasing entropic states (explained by dynamical systems theory).

 

I'm not clear on your conclusion that the universe cannot be eternal according to the 2nd law. The universe can reach maximum disorder and remain like that indefinitely, can't it?

 

Btw, you use an distracting number of double negatives in your sentences.

Well I was explaining to them that the universe must have had a start, such as the big bang, because if it didn't, there is no reason why we haven't reached maximum entropy. It could definitely be everlasting.

 

Back to the original question...

How would the creation of energy effect entropy and other major theories on the universe?

If energy is not conserved it means that the laws of physics change over time.

Entropy is a concept applied across physics, information theory, mathematics and other branches of science and engineering. The following definition is shared across all these fields:

 

S = - k\sum_i P_i \ln P_i \!

 

where S is the conventional symbol for entropy.

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