Do You Understand Entropy?

I am reading "Information"  and it talks about entropy.  I thought it was just me that did not understand why all these references to entrophy which is something to do with thermodynamics.  Turns out I am not the only one.  The book talks about lots of scientist who confused about entropy.  

My own understanding of entropy is things with different energy levels to seek to equilibrium.  However what do I know?

I think the lesson is that if things do not make sense to you, they probably do not make sense.  Dig further and try to understand.  For example if different members of a project do things that do not make sense, look deeper.  Things are not as they appear.  Maybe the entropy for the project is a different state they we understand it to be.  Sorry to be so obsure but that's entropy.   

  1. Peter Holden Reply

    It is important to remember that entropy only applies to closed systems. I have seen people mistakenly asserting that evolution defies entropy but of course the earth is not a closed system as energy is coming in all the time.
    I tend to think of entropy as closed systems going from greater order to less order inexorably.
    The ultimate end of all this is, of course, the heat death of the Universe when all of the molecules in the Universe reach the same temperature.

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