Passing of time in Bolzmann's entropy curve. Is it all wrong?

[Paavo Palikka]

Hello guys,

I was watching video about physical basis for arrow of time..



..as well as several other videos and articles about physics of time. I am puzzled with this picture here (seen in 35:07 in video above)

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/files/uploads/entropyfluctuations.gif


From several sources I have read that time is most probably some kind of emergent property: If universe in total equilibrium (high entropy), concept of time is not relevant because nothing really happens. Still these plots always seem to plot some kind of linear time to horizontal axis.

In my humble opinion all those high entropy equilibrium states should be cleared away from plot and only fluctuations should be left. When universe is in equilibrium (or very near equilibrium), also time will not pass and those "moments" should be cut away from graph. Of course there is always small fluctuations but if I have concluded right they can be ignored.

Well what is your opinion about the subject, are Boltzmann's entropy curves somehow misrepresented in pictures shown above?

Hopefully my small intoxication does not make my question completely impossible to understand :). I am happy to answer any follow-up questions,

-Paavo Palikka

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm sorry you are not generating any responses at the moment. Is there any additional information you can share with us? Any new findings?

 

[Chronos]

This is a very tricky question in QM. An 'entropy clock' as a measure of time independent of 'classical' clocks is still on the wish list. I agree it appears time is an emergent property of the gravitational field and would cease to be meaningful in its absence. Of course, no such place exists is this universe. For discussion, this paper may be of interest: http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9303020, Clock Time and Entropy.