Advertisement
Advertisement
entropy
[en-truh-pee]
noun
Thermodynamics.
(on a macroscopic scale) a function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, and differing from energy in that energy is the ability to do work and entropy is a measure of how much energy is not available. The less work that is produced, the greater the entropy, so when a closed system is void of energy, the result is maximum entropy.
(in statistical mechanics) a measure of the randomness of the microscopic constituents of a thermodynamic system. S
(in data transmission and information theory) a measure of the loss of information in a transmitted signal or message.
(in cosmology) a hypothetical tendency for the universe to attain a state of maximum homogeneity in which all matter is at a uniform temperature heat death.
a state of disorder, or a tendency toward such a state; chaos.
a doctrine of inevitable social decline and degeneration.
entropy
/ ˈɛԳٰəɪ /
noun
S.a thermodynamic quantity that changes in a reversible process by an amount equal to the heat absorbed or emitted divided by the thermodynamic temperature. It is measured in joules per kelvin See also law of thermodynamics
a statistical measure of the disorder of a closed system expressed by S = k log P + c where P is the probability that a particular state of the system exists, k is the Boltzmann constant, and c is another constant
lack of pattern or organization; disorder
a measure of the efficiency of a system, such as a code or language, in transmitting information
entropy
A measure of the amount of energy in a physical system not available to do work. As a physical system becomes more disordered, and its energy becomes more evenly distributed, that energy becomes less able to do work. For example, a car rolling along a road has kinetic energy that could do work (by carrying or colliding with something, for example); as friction slows it down and its energy is distributed to its surroundings as heat, it loses this ability. The amount of entropy is often thought of as the amount of disorder in a system.
See also heat death
entropy
A measure of the disorder of any system, or of the unavailability of its heat energy for work. One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics — the principle that heat will not flow from a cold to a hot object spontaneously — is to say that the entropy of an isolated system can, at best, remain the same and will increase for most systems. Thus, the overall disorder of an isolated system must increase.
Other Word Forms
- entropic adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of entropy1
Example Sentences
The equations predict that if the quarks and gluons are entangled, that can be revealed from the collision's entropy, or disorder.
According to the study, "fluctuations in density, energy and entropy in water are regulated by these quantum interactions, with effects ranging from the nanometre to the macroscopic scale," says researcher Luis E. Coronas.
“In some sense, it feels better to believe that there’s a secret society controlling everything than believing that entropy and chaos rule.”
The more he fumbled for answers, the more overwhelmed he became by entropy and uncertainty.
The amount of entropy was measured by a second LLM that focused on the meaning and nuance of the generated responses, rather than just the words used.
Advertisement
When To Use
Entropy is a measure of the amount of energy that is unavailable to do work in a closed system.In science, entropy is used to determine the amount of disorder in a closed system. We have a closed system if no energy from an outside source can enter the system.For example, an ice cube is orderly because all of its energy (heat) is tightly packed together. As the ice melts, its energy spreads out, creating disorder. The ice cube’s entropy is increasing as the ice melts into the more disorderly state of a liquid (in this case, water).In everyday use, entropy is used more broadly to refer to a lack of pattern or an increasing disorder, as in The coach’s disorganization spread throughout the team, creating some serious entropy at soccer practice.Example: My clean room quickly fell into entropy after my younger brother and sister had a chaotic pillow fight in it.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse