Re: Entropy (error)

["Bernard G. Cleyet & Nancy Ann Seese" <georgeann@REDSHIFT.COM>]

Here's another comment:


Hi Bernard,
Nice to hear from you.  I read the arguments being made here
and I guess some of the subtle remarks puzzle me.  I find
the statistical nature of entropy very easy to understand
and I was introduced to it in my first year university
physics course.  The alternative is the mathematical
concept in thermodynamics, which I learned in my first
year university chemistry course.  Both have their place.
Entropy is, of course, best understood in Boltzmann's famous
equation that is engraved on his gravestone, i.e.
entropy = log(number of states).  To relate
entropy to energy one needs to talk about energy states;
the energy with more states is the most likely, assuming
that states are equally likely.  These states do not
need to be quantum ones.  Much of Gibb's work was based
on classical considerations, though his work on gases
and indistinguishability is one of the first precursors
of quantum mechanics.  I personally believe the statistical
approach to entropy should be taught as early as possible.
The difficulty of students is mostly derived from their poor education
in probability theory.  I think probability theory should
be taught very early and more widely since it is the
most applicable branch of mathematics to our daily lives.
Irrational decisions are often made that affect us all
but are based on misunderstandings of probability.
How many people fear to get onto a plane, but are willing
to drive 80 mph in the rain to catch the plane on time?
Talk to you soon,
Dave

bc

Leigh Palmer wrote:

> Just in case anyone read that far down, I goofed. Here's the correction:
>
> > I've never said that entropy is not a measure of the disorder of a
> > system. My quarrels are with the notion that an undefined concept of
> > order leaves the concept  sufficiently well constrained to make it
>                           ^
>                          in
> > useful, and that even well defined the concept is useless at the
> > high school level (except, perhaps, at AP - I don't know). In either
> > event The statement the "entropy is a measure of disorder" is
> > perfectly true if one simply defines disorder quantitatively - as
> > being identical with entropy (or, perhaps, entropy/k).
>
> Leigh