Re: Entropy: quenched disorder is entropy

["Richard W. Tarara" <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Bowman"

> > However, if we are to adopt Leigh and David's pedagogical advice, then
> > ENTROPY is a forbidden word until students hit a stat-mech course, which
is
> > often not until graduate school.  ;-(
> >
> > Rick
>
> Rick, I think you have misconstrued us.  Neither of us consider entropy
> to be a forbidden word.  Its just that I think a low (teaching) level
> association of 'thermodynamic entropy' with 'disorder' *can* be
> dangerous if the notions are not sufficiently qualified to prevent
> misconceptions, and Leigh, more strongly, thinks it just *is* dangerous
> to bring disorder in to a discussion of entropy because it creates and
> reinforces major misconceptions.

But the 'definition' you have proposed seems (to me) to rely on language and
principles from stat-mech.  If that is the way entropy needs to be
approached, then how can it be done at any lower level.  Leigh (I recall)
rejects any teaching of entropy at the HS level.  How would you then
describe entropy to the HS student or to the intro level student in a
(non-major's) physics course?

Rick