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Maxwell's Demon by Hans Christian and Von Baeyer, for those who've read it, is it worth reading?
I haven't read this book but I have read his book 'Information: The New Langauge of Science'. I felt that this was definitely worth reading, but at the start he seemed to be trying to show how difficult the subject was. Possibly his other book is similar, so I would say that even if the first chapter seems a bit daunting then you should stick with it.DB said:Maxwell's Demon by Hans Christian and Von Baeyer, for those who've read it, is it worth reading?
ramollari said:Maybe I'm wrong, but why to read a whole book for the Maxwell's demon?
I don't have anything against the subject, honestly it is among the most interesting ones. I have read about the Maxwell's daemon in a chapter of an entertaining book from G.Gamov, and I think a few pages would be enough. Maybe the interested reader would like to know more.lyapunov said:I'd suggest several even (well, at least one). It's a very, very informative experiment to get a grip on entropy, if that's at all possible. Took quite some time for someone to really refute the original logic, too (Szilard).
http://users.ntsource.com/~neilsen/papers/demon/dpaper.html
ramollari said:I have read about the Maxwell's daemon in a chapter of an entertaining book from G.Gamov, and I think a few pages would be enough.
ramollari said:Yes, you got it!
Well suppose you turn off your computer. The information in it is lost (forgotten) due to dispersion of the energy of the system to the environment - the increase of entropy.ramollari said:Entropy v Forgetting
What is the relationship?
ramollari said:Entropy v Forgetting
What is the relationship?
Maxwell's Demon is a thought experiment proposed by physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1867. It involves a hypothetical creature that can manipulate individual molecules to create a temperature difference without expending any energy, contradicting the second law of thermodynamics.
Maxwell's Demon raises questions about the fundamental laws of thermodynamics and the nature of entropy. It has also been used to explore concepts such as information, computation, and the arrow of time in physics.
Maxwell's Demon is purely a thought experiment and has never been observed in real life. It is used to illustrate the limitations of our understanding of thermodynamics and the physical world.
One of the main criticisms of Maxwell's Demon is that it assumes a violation of the second law of thermodynamics, which is a well-established principle in physics. Additionally, some have argued that the concept of the "demon" is too vague and does not provide a feasible mechanism for its actions.
Whether or not it is worth reading about Maxwell's Demon depends on your interests. If you are interested in physics, thermodynamics, or philosophical questions about the nature of the universe, then it may be worth exploring. However, if these topics do not interest you, then it may not be worth the read.