Recent content by gptejms

Nice work! I would have been happy with 1/2, 3/4, but you have done it for the general case! If I define bias as the difference between probability of a biased outcome and that of an unbiased outcome, then we can say that Monty Hall by opening a goat door introduces a bias of...

I modify the Monty Hall problem a bit. Suppose there are 4 doors and behind each door either a goat or a car out of a pool of 2 goats and 2 cars. You choose a door at random and in comes Monty Hall who always opens a door with a goat behind it. He opens just one door for you and asks you if you...

In a way, we can say that the system is non-ergodic because of gravitational interactions(specific paths) and normal laws of statistical physics and concepts like entropy don't apply. The same would be true if we had a thousand planets going around the sun.So is it meaningful to talk of entropy...

Tired light idea is different from what I was suggesting(read my post that you replied to above).

Not less helpful, it just doesn't apply.

Know this basic stuff very well! Reason for posing this question was to understand if the concept of entropy can be applied everywhere. My opinion is that a solar system with very few degrees of freedom (just 10 entities) and no random motion doesn't qualify for thermodynamic analysis-- you guys...

Yes, solar system doesn't qualify as a thermodynamic system as it has very few degrees of freedom. But my point is even if it had a thousand planets and one giant star, it still wouldn't qualify as a thermodynamic system-- there is no random motion of the constituent particles/planets.

But you do have nonequilibrium thermodynamics/ statistical physics. We also talk of entropy of the early universe, and also at t=0.

Right. Now a question that follows is: why is a black hole so high entropy when all of the gravitational potential energy should have been transferred out as heat?

Why would it be higher on the floor?

How many degrees of freedom? Can you quantify it? Solar system with just nine planets and a sun won't qualify-- right?

C' mon I am no expert on GTR and just trying to understand something here-- the only way to do that is by asking questions. You guys need to be more tolerant.

Ok, some systems have a strong tendency to increase their entropy or move towards configurations that have higher entropy, whatever be the driving mechanism. But some systems are just happy with a constant entropy, or decreasing entropy (if the total entropy of the universe increases). Right sir?

Compete? What gives you that impression?

It may not be a force, but a strong tendency of a system( specially a gas of molecules).