Or like potential energy since you can always measure the difference of potential energy but never an absolute value?Dale said:That is kind of a problem, isn’t it. I guess entropy is, in that sense, a little like the wavefunction.
The experiment I'm looking for would only need to show an entropy change, not an absolute value.bob012345 said:Or like potential energy since you can always measure the difference of potential energy but never an absolute value?
That's exactly how the mixing paradox is resolved in most textbooks (I believe): Identical particles are indistinguishable and therefore you cannot tell that they've mixed. By simply replacing the partition wall you're back to the original state. This means the process of mixing must have been reversible and the entropy change must have been zero.Chestermiller said:If they are identical, how can you identify that anything has even happened?
Philip Koeck said:In principle I would say you can measure entropy change using a calorimeter for processes that are approximately reversible.
Philip Koeck said:By simply replacing the partition wall you're back to the original state. This means the process of mixing must have been reversible and the entropy change must have been zero.
If I understand the textbooks correctly the mixing of identical gases is reversible, whereas the mixing of different gases is not.DrStupid said:Is the mixing process of two gases reversible?
No, that means that from the thermodynamic point of view there is no process at all. The macro state doesn't change.
Philip Koeck said:If I understand the textbooks correctly the mixing of identical gases is reversible
Good point!DrStupid said:What does "reversible" means in this case? If nothing changes than there is nothing to be reversed.
Philip Koeck said:If there is no process, as in the case of identical gases, then entropy doesn't change.
In the case of two different gases the mixing is an irreversible process and entropy changes.
Has this been shown experimentally?
The Mixing Paradox is a thought experiment that challenges the idea of determinism in physics. It proposes a scenario in which two identical particles are placed in separate boxes and then mixed together, causing confusion about which particle is which. This raises questions about whether particles truly have distinct identities or if they are simply interchangeable.
The Mixing Paradox can be tested experimentally by using two identical particles, such as photons, and placing them in separate boxes. The boxes are then mixed together and the particles are observed to see if their identities can be determined. If the particles can be distinguished, it would suggest that they have distinct identities and determinism holds true.
The implications of the Mixing Paradox are significant for our understanding of determinism and the nature of particles. If the paradox is proven to be true, it would challenge the idea that particles have distinct identities and raise questions about the concept of causality in physics.
The Mixing Paradox is still a topic of debate and has not been definitively proven or disproven. Some experiments have suggested that particles may have indistinguishable identities, while others have shown the opposite. Further research and experimentation is needed to fully understand the implications of the paradox.
The Mixing Paradox is related to other paradoxes in physics, such as the Quantum Zeno effect and the EPR paradox. These paradoxes all challenge our understanding of determinism and the nature of particles. They also raise questions about the role of observation and measurement in determining the behavior of particles.