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Related Concept Videos

Entropy02:39

Entropy

Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
Entropy01:18

Entropy

The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
The Second Law of Thermodynamics01:14

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Scientists refer to the measure of randomness or disorder within a system as entropy. High entropy means high disorder and low energy. To better understand entropy, think of a student’s bedroom. If no energy or work were put into it, the room would quickly become messy. It would exist in a very disordered state, one of high entropy. Energy must be put...
Second Law of Thermodynamics02:49

Second Law of Thermodynamics

In the quest to identify a property that may reliably predict the spontaneity of a process, a promising candidate has been identified: entropy. Processes that involve an increase in entropy of the system (ΔS > 0) are very often spontaneous; however, examples to the contrary are plentiful. By expanding consideration of entropy changes to include the surroundings, a significant conclusion regarding the relation between this property and spontaneity may be reached. In thermodynamic models, the...
Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or the amount of disorder in a system, increases each time energy is transferred or transformed. Each energy transfer results in a certain amount of energy that is lost—usually in the form of heat—that increases the disorder of the surroundings. This can also be demonstrated in a classic food web. Herbivores harvest chemical energy from plants and release heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Carnivores harvest the chemical energy...
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:20

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation  between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes
09:42

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Published on: January 16, 2016

Causal entropic forces.

A D Wissner-Gross1, C E Freer

  • 1Institute for Applied Computational Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. alexwg@post.harvard.edu

Physical Review Letters
|May 18, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

We propose a physical relationship between intelligence and entropy maximization, showing how tool use and social cooperation can emerge in physical systems. This suggests a thermodynamic model for adaptive behavior.

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Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides
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Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Published on: May 29, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes
09:42

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Published on: January 16, 2016

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides
09:41

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Published on: May 29, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Complex Systems
  • Artificial Intelligence

Background:

  • Recent advances hint at a connection between intelligence and entropy maximization across various scientific fields.
  • No formal physical relationship has been established between intelligence and entropy maximization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a formal physical relationship between intelligence and entropy maximization.
  • To demonstrate the spontaneous emergence of cognitive behaviors in physical systems.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a causal generalization of entropic forces.
  • Applied this framework to simple physical systems.

Main Results:

  • Showed that tool use and social cooperation spontaneously emerge in physical systems.
  • Established a connection between entropic forces and adaptive behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • The proposed framework offers a first step toward a formal physical relationship between intelligence and entropy maximization.
  • Results suggest a general thermodynamic model for adaptive behavior as a nonequilibrium process in open systems.