Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The second law of thermodynamics implies that
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The second law of thermodynamics implies that
I argue that the 2nd law of thermodynamics and entropy cannot be reversed because time and events are independent entities-thus, time will keep running forward regardless of whether or not something appears to be moving in the opposite direction. In this essay, I will define and discuss entropy, as well as the second law of thermodynamics. Then I will proceed to discuss whether or not the reversal of entropy is the reversal of time (in the hypothetical universe where the reversal of entropy is much more common).
I will start by discussing entropy. Entropy is a tricky topic and can be easily misunderstood. Perhaps this is because entropy has two different meanings. One definition of entropy is one used for a thermodynamic system involved
…show more content…
closed system- not interacting thermodynamically with surroundings. Take for example, water vapor inside a closed container. Suppose the water vapor starts enclosed in one corner of the container. In this corner, there is not very much entropy since there is nowhere for the water vapor to go. Then supposed that the vapor is released into the rest of the container (a much larger space.) In this case the molecules of water vapor would quickly disperse throughout the container. This process of dispersion is an example of an irreversible process. In other words, once the molecules are dispersed (and entropy has increased), it is nearly impossible for them to return to their former state of low entropy. This holds true in every instance. EXAMPLE? To state what I mean more explicitly, there can be no spontaneous transfer of heat (i.e from cold to hot). Basically, this means that it very unlikely for heat to flow from a colder region to a hotter region. It is, however, possible for heat to flow from a hotter region to a colder region, which results in a uniform, average temperature throughout the system. The second law of thermodynamics explains why it is possible for ice to melt into water but not for water to transform into ice in room temperature. The 2nd law of thermodynamics applies also to energy. Another understanding of the 2nd law of thermodynamics is …show more content…
Suppose that the absence of change (as occurs in the temporal vacuum) is a cause- i.e. linked to an effect. In this perspective, it would be a false statement to say that the temporal vacuum could not make a difference. In fact, the cause-the absence of change would explain why nothing is happening 5 minutes later. Thus, the absence of change is a state of affairs; and, affairs take up time. A state of affairs is really just a multitude of events, and in a sense, time is composed of individual events, or affairs. Thus, since a temporal vacuum is really just a state of affairs (unchanging affairs), it is safe to say time continues during the temporal vacuum. In other words, time and events are independent, and events just occur (or don’t occur) along the continuum of time. Thus even if events occur in their backward order (or if entropy is reversed), time keeps running
If you have ever read Einstein's Dreams, you can appreciate my dilemma. If you have not yet had the opportunity to experience this wonderful novel by Alan Lightman, I guarantee that after you read it you will expand your perception of the nature of time and of human activity. The novel is enchanting. It is a fictional account of what one of the greatest scientific minds dreams as he begins to uncover his theory of relativity.
“It is an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever,” (27). The Tralfamadorians also tell Billy that nothing can be changed because of the structure of how time works. When Billy asks one of the Tralfamadorians about free will, the creature responds, “Only on Earth is there any talk of free will,” (86). The people of Tralfamadore say that, “All time is all time”. It does not change the way you think.
For a better understanding of the theory of entropy it helps to understand the first law of thermodynamics, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it may only change forms. In other words the energy of the universe is constant. For the universe (the ultimate system) to give up energy to increase ordered is not a likely event. Therefore ,for a system, a persons room for example, to become more ordered, energy must be put into the system, cleaning the room. Everything in the universe is governed by entropy through the Gibbs free energy equation which states; the heat content of the system, minus the temperature of the system times the entropy, or randomness will dictate whether the event will be spontaneous. Entropy is actually centered around the probability of an event occurring. The greater the statistical probability of a particular event occurring, the greater the entropy. A good example of this is an experiment with a new deck of playing cards. When the cards are first unwrapped they are arranged in numerical order and according to suit, if the cards are thrown into the air and allowed to fall to the floor. When they are swept up and restacked, we will almost certainly find that the cards have become disordered. We would expect this disordering to occur because there are millions of ways for the cards to become disordered and only one way for them to come together again in their original sequence.
What is time? Is time travel possible? When nothing is changing does time still exits ? Is that really true? Are you real? Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that is significant to us when questions and other clams bring curiosity about whether things are real or not.
, The debate between free will and fatalism has existed since the conceptualization of time. On one hand, in everyday life, time flows in a uniform fashion. People experience time in which there is a past, present, and a future. Yet, physicists and philosophers see time as something completely different. In fact, they see time as an illusion. Called the tenseless theory of time, time does not flow but this theory views time as a fourth dimension where all past, present, and future events are equal (Callender & Edney, 2004). Essentially, this theory proposes that there is no passage of time and no becoming of future events. As a result, one can view this theory as a “block” universe in which every event that has happened, is happening as of right now, and is going to happen has been set in stone.
An open system, like our Earth, is one that has no boundary, or whose boundary allows the passing of both energy and/or matter. The Earth receives solar energy in the form of visible light and infrared radiation. Without this energy, photosynthesis would not be carried out, nor would Earth be a habitable planet. The surface temperature would drop below the average temperature of 287 Kelvin creating a frozen Earth. There would be little to no atmospheric circulation; the only life would be found near deep hydrothermal vents. Since the Earth is an open system, it also needs to release energy. As the Earth takes in visible and infrared light from the sun, it also releases infrared light to prevent overheating (Breiterman, 2005). When deniers of evolution argue that the second law of thermodynamics strictly says “everything goes from order to disorder,” it is often not taken into account that, even if the Earth were to be a closed system, as one thing increases its entropic state another area of the system will decrease its entropy. (Morris, 1973).
What is time? The book, No Boundaries by Ken Wilber has an entire chapter dedicated to how time is an illusion, just one of the many boundaries humanity has cooked up and fallen for as truth. It continues to argues that we exist in an eternal present. The question remains however, is it, right? That is something to witch I am still in doubt.
The first law of thermodynamics simply states that heat is a form of energy and heat energy cannot be created nor destroyed. In this lab we were measuring the change in temperature and how it affected the enthalpy of the reaction.
...t humans naturally turn to it; the theory of entropy in the most visceral sense.
things can be reduced to one principle, that of nature and therefore there is no
This disproves time because if time was tangible then it would have to be constant and apply to all things at once rather than only affect things based on perspective. One of the reasons why time is relative is due to the fact that on a cosmic scale time is determined by isolating a section of space and then using a relationship between a number of parts like a solar system to determine the clock for that section.The reason why time is determined like this on a cosmic scale is due to the fact that the universe is constantly expanding infinitely which creates the paradox of certain parts being older than others but equally as old because they are part of the same universe. Another reason why time is relative is due to the fact that similar to a DVD when a movie is being watched
Energy is an odd concept, it is something that is neither here nor there yet has a profound impact on everything, both organic and inorganic. However, energy surrounds us in more ways than is commonly believed; it is possible that matter is only a form of energy. In fact, according to Albert Einstein, matter and energy are different forms of the same thing (“Do Antimatter and Matter Destroy Each Other?”). Through analyzing the superposition of bosons (particles without mass) and fermions (particles with mass), transformations between energy and matter, the creation of mass, and the mass of energy, the existence of what humans consider to be matter will be questioned.
Thermodynamics is the branch of science concerned with the nature of heat and its conversion to any form of energy. In thermodynamics, both the thermodynamic system and its environment are considered. A thermodynamic system, in general, is defined by its volume, pressure, temperature, and chemical make-up. In general, the environment will contain heat sources with unlimited heat capacity allowing it to give and receive heat without changing its temperature. Whenever the conditions change, the thermodynamic system will respond by changing its state; the temperature, volume, pressure, or chemical make-up will adjust accordingly in order to reach its original state of equilibrium. There are three laws of thermodynamics in which the changing system can follow in order to return to equilibrium.
Heat is thermal energy being transferred from one place to another, because of temperature changes. This can take place by three processes. These three processes are known as conduction, convection, and radiation.
“Don’t worry if your theory doesn’t agree with the observations, because they are probably wrong.’ But if your theory does not agree with the 2nd law of thermodynamics then it is in serious trouble”.