Entropy and the early univesre

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Entropy in the universe is always increasing, suggesting that if time were reversed, order would increase. Initially, the universe had low entropy, with energy concentrated in a small space before the Big Bang. It's important to distinguish between order and entropy, as a system in thermodynamic equilibrium is not necessarily more orderly, just more probable. Misunderstandings about entropy often arise from popular science, which tends to equate disorder with high entropy. The discussion emphasizes the need for clarity in understanding these concepts in thermodynamics and cosmology.
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Hello,
since entropy in the univesre is always increasing, if we were to go back in time, would the amount of order increase? will there get to be a point where the universe is extremely orderly?

Did the big bang start out as a very orderly object?
 
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bananan said:
Hello,
since entropy in the univesre is always increasing, if we were to go back in time, would the amount of order increase? will there get to be a point where the universe is extremely orderly?

Did the big bang start out as a very orderly object?
Entropy is a measure of how dispersed the energy is. In the pre-big bang, the energy was very concentrated in a very small space so it had very low entropy.

Do not confuse order with entropy. Entropy increases because the most probable result of combining two thermodynamic systems is thermodynamic equilibrium. A system in thermodynamic equilibrium is not more orderly than one that is not. It is simply much more probable.

AM
 
Andrew Mason said:
Entropy is a measure of how dispersed the energy is. In the pre-big bang, the energy was very concentrated in a very small space so it had very low entropy.

Do not confuse order with entropy. Entropy increases because the most probable result of combining two thermodynamic systems is thermodynamic equilibrium. A system in thermodynamic equilibrium is not more orderly than one that is not. It is simply much more probable.

AM

ISn't that also true for black holes? I did confuse order with entropy.
 
I blame that on poor popular science, which seems to be hell-bent on associating disorder with entropy, while not highlighting the true definition.
 

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