What Is the True Physical Meaning of Entropy in Various Fields of Physics?

In summary, this article discusses the physical meaning of entropy in the context of statistical, nuclear, atomic physics, and cosmology. The authors argue that the microcanonical Boltzmann entropy is the only one that doesn't lead to contradictions in various situations, while the conventional canonical statistics can result in errors and misinterpretations. This has significant implications for phase-separations and the second law, and calls for new reformulations using microcanonical statistics.
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http://arxiv.org/abs/nucl-th/0603028

Authors: D.H.E.Gross
Comments: 7 pages, 1 figure, presnted at XILV internat. winter meeting on nuclear physics in Bormio(Italy) 2006, January 29- Febr. 5
Subj-class: Nuclear Theory; Statistical Mechanics

The physical meaning of entropy is analyzed in the context of statistical, nuclear, atomic physics and cosmology. Only the microcanonical Boltzmann entropy leads to no contradictions in several simple, elementary and for thermodynamics important situations. The conventional canonical statistics implies several serious errors and misinterpretations. This has far reaching consequences for phase-separations as well for the usual formulations of the second law. Applications in cosmology suffer under the ubiquitous use of canonical statistics. New reformulations in terms of microcanonical statistics are highly demanded but certainly difficult.
 
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The idea of entropy as a measure of disorder has been well established since Ludwig Boltzmann's pioneering work in the 19th century. However, its physical meaning and implications have often been misunderstood and misinterpreted, leading to erroneous conclusions in many areas of physics. In this article, we analyze the physical meaning of entropy in the context of statistical, nuclear, atomic physics and cosmology. We show that only the microcanonical Boltzmann entropy leads to no contradictions in several simple, elementary and for thermodynamics important situations. The conventional canonical statistics implies several serious errors and misinterpretations. This has far reaching consequences for phase-separations as well for the usual formulations of the second law. Applications in cosmology suffer under the ubiquitous use of canonical statistics. New reformulations in terms of microcanonical statistics are highly demanded but certainly difficult.
 

FAQ: What Is the True Physical Meaning of Entropy in Various Fields of Physics?

What is the physical meaning of entropy?

The physical meaning of entropy refers to the measure of disorder or randomness in a system. It is a thermodynamic property that describes the tendency of a system to move towards a state of equilibrium or maximum disorder.

How is entropy related to the Second Law of Thermodynamics?

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system always increases over time. This means that as energy is transferred or transformed within a system, some of it is lost as unusable energy and increases the disorder or entropy of the system.

What is the difference between microstate and macrostate in relation to entropy?

A microstate refers to the specific arrangement of particles or energy within a system, while a macrostate refers to the overall properties of the system. Entropy is a measure of the number of possible microstates for a given macrostate, and as the number of microstates increases, so does the entropy.

How does entropy relate to the concept of energy dispersal?

Entropy is closely related to the concept of energy dispersal, as the increase in entropy indicates a decrease in the amount of useful energy within a system. As energy disperses and spreads out, it becomes less concentrated and therefore less useful for doing work.

Can entropy be reversed or reduced in a system?

While it is possible for certain processes to decrease entropy in a localized area, the overall trend is always towards an increase in entropy. This is due to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that all natural processes tend towards a state of maximum entropy or disorder.

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