Is Maxwell's Demon Still an Unsolved Mystery?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the status of Maxwell's Demon as a problem in thermodynamics, exploring whether it remains an unsolved mystery or if recent arguments have provided clarity. Participants examine the implications of the demon's actions on the second law of thermodynamics, as well as related concepts like entropy and statistical mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant cites John Earman and John D. Norton’s argument, suggesting that the reasoning behind Maxwell's Demon leads to circularity regarding the second law of thermodynamics.
  • Another participant proposes that while violating the second law is statistically unlikely, it is not impossible, highlighting the role of luck in the demon's potential success.
  • A different viewpoint introduces an analogy involving an air compressor and suggests that the demon's actions could be framed in terms of a time-temperature ratio of work performed.
  • There is a mention of "Maxwell's Zombies" and a query about their relevance to the discussion, indicating that there are other unsolved problems related to Maxwell's Demon.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of Maxwell's Demon and its relationship to the second law of thermodynamics. There is no consensus on whether the issue is resolved or if it remains an open question.

Contextual Notes

Some arguments rely on specific interpretations of statistical mechanics and the nature of entropy, which may not be universally accepted. The discussion also touches on hypothetical scenarios that involve assumptions about the universe's conditions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and philosophical implications of physical theories, particularly in the context of unresolved problems in physics.

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I think the John Earman and John D. Norton argument pretty much ends the discussion. What they are saying is that the allowing the demon to violate the second law of thermodynamics boils down to a violation of the second law of thermodynamics - thus circular reasoning.

But it brings you back to the point of what drives the second law to begin with - just statistics. A violation of the second law of thermodynamics isn't impossible, just unlikely. If Maxwell's demon opened the door and a hot molecule just happened to cross from the cold side to the hot side, he could declare a win - based only on luck.

We live in a special case universe where there is ever increasing entropy and thus a direction to time - owing only to the fact that we started with a very low entropy condition just 14 billion years ago. If the universe ever settles into a warm death, there will be no increase in entropy, no second law, no direction to time, and no remaining evidence of an original Big Bang.
 
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rootone said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_demon,
Is this solved, or any new ideas about it?
And to quote .Scott's post "If Maxwell's demon opened the door..." always a first action needed.

The thought I use is... An air compressor installed inside an air tank which is designed to operate as an air motor(turning the compressor inside), air being drawn in through the axle tube into the compressor and discharged into the tank, after a period of time the tank is under pressure and hot, the hot air is expanded through the tanks motor function and at zero pressure and lower than intake temperature, the air moves back into the surroundings.
The compressor is equal to the demon, it should boil down to a time, temperature ratio of work performed.

What is considered useful will determine if it has value IMO.
 
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rootone said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_demon,
Is this solved, or any new ideas about it?

Are Maxwell's Zombies on-topic in this thread? They are all unsolved, says Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_Zombie
 
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