Is It Possible for Humans to Reverse Entropy?

[avant-garde]

Do you think there is a way to reverse entropy? If humans obtain the power to reverse entropy, then they will gain the power to do anything in this universe.

This reminds me of The Last Question by Isaac Asimov.

 

[stewartcs]

Do you think there is a way to reverse entropy?

No.

CS

 

[Dale]

To make it a little more vivid, what you are actually asking the following question: "Can I throw a bunch of broken shards on the floor and have them spontaneously bounce back up as completely intact dinner plate?"

 

[ZapperZ]

Do you think there is a way to reverse entropy?

Get some water, and cool it. There! You've "reversed" the entropy of that water.

Zz.

 

[Topher925]

It all depends on how you define your system. If you create an open system, sure you can. However if you choose an isolated system, then no.

 

[stewartcs]

Get some water, and cool it. There! You've "reversed" the entropy of that water.

Zz.

The entropy in this case would be negative, not reversed. The entropy generation is always positive per the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Of course I may have misunderstood what the OP asking. I'm taking "reversed" to mean that the entropy generation is negative, which cannot happen.

CS

 

[stewartcs]

It all depends on how you define your system. If you create an open system, sure you can. However if you choose an isolated system, then no.

Entropy generation always increases.

For example, here is an open system (control volume) with entropy generation increasing:

Take a tank with a valve on it that is connected to a high pressure air line. Open the valve, the air goes into the tank, the temperature of the air in the tank increases, and the entropy increases.

CS

 

[Topher925]

Ok, let's define a system of H2O and sand mixed together to create a homogeneous mixture in an closed system (I know I said open above). By mixing creating the mixture we create entropy. Now if we apply work to the system in the form of a large centrifugal force we separate the mixture removing entropy from the system. True, you are not actually reversing entropy as there is no such thing as an entirely reversible process. But it would be negative and removed from your system. I guess the real question is can you destroy entropy, which like you said the answer is no.

 

[stewartcs]

Ok, let's define a system of H2O and sand mixed together to create a homogeneous mixture in an closed system (I know I said open above). By mixing creating the mixture we create entropy. Now if we apply work to the system in the form of a large centrifugal force we separate the mixture removing entropy from the system. True, you are not actually reversing entropy as there is no such thing as an entirely reversible process. But it would be negative and removed from your system. I guess the real question is can you destroy entropy, which like you said the answer is no.

There is no entropy transfer associated with energy transfer as work. In other words, no entropy is exchanged during a work interaction between a system and its surroundings. There are only two mechanisms of entropy transfer, heat and mass flow. Entropy generation can occur due to a degradation of the quality of energy - which obviously will increase the entropy. For example, take a closed system composed of an adiabatic rigid container with a paddle wheel in it. The only entropy is that which generated due to the paddle wheel disorganizing the gas molecules and friction. Even though work isn’t causing the transfer of entropy across the system boundary, it is responsible for the increase in entropy (entropy generation in this case) due to the dissipation of that energy into a less useful form of energy. The energy being dissipated is the energy used in performing the work on the shaft.

By applying work to separate the mixture you will increase the entropy generation within the system boundary. Hence, the entropy increases.

CS

 

[Topher925]

By applying work to separate the mixture you will increase the entropy generation within the system boundary. Hence, the entropy increases.

Assuming this closed system is perfectly insulated like you said, how is this so? No heat is being transferred and the system is being "organized", therefor removing the mixture entropy.

As an example of what I attempted to convey in my last post, here's an example using ideal gases. Although originally attempted to explain quantum behavior I think it still applies.

A mixture of classical ideal gases occupying a volume may be separated using semi-permeable membranes which are permeable to one gas but opaque to the others. The separation may be done reversibly using the membranes as pistons and keeping the whole system in contact with a reservoir at constant temperature[3]. To show that mixing has a thermodynamic effect, consider the following process restoring the mixture. After separation, each separated gas occupies the original volume alone. To return to the mixture, each gas is compressed to a volume (where is the concentration of the th gas). The compression requires work to be invested, and the entropy of the gas is reduced by . An increase in entropy of the same amount must then be associated with the mixing step of removing the partitions. This is the ‘mixing entropy’.

http://web.mit.edu/lhenders/www/papers/final.htm

 

[stewartcs]

Assuming this closed system is perfectly insulated like you said, how is this so? No heat is being transferred and the system is being "organized", therefor removing the mixture entropy.

As an example of what I attempted to convey in my last post, here's an example using ideal gases. Although originally attempted to explain quantum behavior I think it still applies.


http://web.mit.edu/lhenders/www/papers/final.htm

Like I said in the previous post (#9), the entropy generated within the system boundary will increase for the following reason: The quality of the energy used to provide work to the shaft to mix or separate the system is degraded due to the irreversibilities associated with the system (friction for example). Since the quality of the energy is reduced due to the irreversibilities of system, the entropy generated is increased.

The quote you provided comes with the statement that the separation is reversible and that they are ideal gases. In reality, this will not be the case since neither one really exist. However, I’m not all that familiar with quantum mechanics so perhaps there is some way to have a process in that realm that is so close to reversible that they can assert that.

CS

EDIT: I just read the article and think that they may be saying that the net entropy change is negative, which of course is possible as pointed out in post #6. But that doesn't mean entropy is reversible.

 

[ZapperZ]

Until the OP comes back and clarify him/herself, I'd suggest we ease of on making any further assumption on what the initial question was on. Or else whatever we're discussing might be completely moot.

Zz.

 

[map19]

Take a large amount of interstellar gas with very high entropy and throw it into a black hole. The entropy of the universe is decreased.

 

[stewartcs]

Take a large amount of interstellar gas with very high entropy and throw it into a black hole. The entropy of the universe is decreased.

Exactly how does one throw entropy into a black hole?

CS