Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Entropy02:39

Entropy

37.8K
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...
37.8K
Entropy01:18

Entropy

3.8K
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...
3.8K
Second Law of Thermodynamics02:49

Second Law of Thermodynamics

28.4K
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...
28.4K
Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

Second Law of Thermodynamics

70.3K
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...
70.3K
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:26

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

262
Consider an isolated system in which a hot object is placed in contact with a cold one. This is an irreversible process that eventually leads both objects to reach the same equilibrium temperature. It is crucial to note that the constituents of any substance exhibit increased disorder at higher temperatures. As a cold substance absorbs heat, its constituents become more disordered. The energy transfer from a hotter object to a cooler one increases the system's disorder or randomness. This...
262
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics01:20

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

5.3K
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...
5.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Decoherence of Morse oscillator in the presence of dissipationless environment.

The Journal of chemical physics·2025
Same author

Quantum transport under oscillatory drive with disordered amplitude.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2025
Same author

Breakdown of Detailed Balance for Thermal Radiation by Synthetic Fields.

Physical review letters·2023
Same author

Energy conductance across a mesoscopic junction in a nonequilibrium spin-boson model under the influence of telegraph noise.

Physical review. E·2022
Same author

Long-Time Memory and Ternary Logic Gate Using a Multistable Cavity Magnonic System.

Physical review letters·2021
Same author

Enhanced Sensing of Weak Anharmonicities through Coherences in Dissipatively Coupled Anti-PT Symmetric Systems.

Physical review letters·2021
Same journal

Tension on dsDNA bound to ssDNA-RecA filaments may play an important role in driving efficient and accurate homology recognition and strand exchange.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016
Same journal

Publisher's Note: Amplitude-phase coupling drives chimera states in globally coupled laser networks [Phys. Rev. E 91, 040901(R) (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016
Same journal

Erratum: Shapes of sedimenting soft elastic capsules in a viscous fluid [Phys. Rev. E 92, 033003 (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016
Same journal

Erratum: Attenuation of excitation decay rate due to collective effect [Phys. Rev. E 90, 022142 (2014)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016
Same journal

Publisher's Note: Role of connectivity and fluctuations in the nucleation of calcium waves in cardiac cells [Phys. Rev. E 92, 052715 (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016
Same journal

Publisher's Note: Lattice Boltzmann approach for complex nonequilibrium flows [Phys. Rev. E 92, 043308 (2015)].

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics·2016
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
11:03

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

Published on: December 4, 2017

9.1K

Generalized fluctuation theorems for classical systems.

G S Agarwal1, Sushanta Dattagupta2

  • 1Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|December 15, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The fluctuation theorem, crucial for nonequilibrium dynamics, was generalized for Gaussian Markov processes. Researchers found the parameter α is not universally constant, challenging previous assumptions in physical systems.

More Related Videos

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
06:42

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Published on: June 8, 2018

9.8K
A Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy Assay of Protein-Protein Interactions at Cell-Cell Contacts
08:43

A Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy Assay of Protein-Protein Interactions at Cell-Cell Contacts

Published on: December 1, 2018

12.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
11:03

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

Published on: December 4, 2017

9.1K
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
06:42

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Published on: June 8, 2018

9.8K
A Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy Assay of Protein-Protein Interactions at Cell-Cell Contacts
08:43

A Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy Assay of Protein-Protein Interactions at Cell-Cell Contacts

Published on: December 1, 2018

12.2K

Area of Science:

  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics
  • Physical Systems Dynamics

Background:

  • The fluctuation theorem is fundamental to understanding the nonequilibrium dynamics of physical systems.
  • The widely used Gallavoti-Cohen fluctuation theorem relates the work distribution as p(W)/p(-W)=exp(αW).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To derive the general form of fluctuation theorems for arbitrary multidimensional Gaussian Markov processes.
  • To investigate the universality of the parameter α in these generalized fluctuation theorems.

Main Methods:

  • Derivation of generalized fluctuation theorems for multidimensional Gaussian Markov processes.
  • Analysis of the parameter α, challenging its assumed universality.
  • Application to classical cyclotron motion of an electron in a parabolic potential using coupled Langevin equations.

Main Results:

  • The parameter α is demonstrated to be non-universal for arbitrary multidimensional Gaussian Markov processes.
  • Conditions for α to be a universal parameter (1/KT) are found to be highly restrictive.
  • The generalized theorems are applicable to nonequilibrium steady states and anisotropic diffusion scenarios.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides a generalized framework for fluctuation theorems in complex physical systems.
  • The non-universality of α highlights the need for careful consideration in specific applications.
  • The findings are significant for understanding electron cyclotron motion and other anisotropic diffusion processes.