Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Reversible and Irreversible Processes

Reversible and Irreversible Processes

The thermodynamic processes can be classified into reversible and irreversible processes. The processes that can be restored to their initial state are called reversible processes. It is only possible if the process is in quasi-static equilibrium, i.e., it takes place in infinitesimally small steps, and the system remains at equilibrium However, these are ideal processes and do not occur naturally. An ideal system undergoing a reversible process is always in thermodynamic equilibrium within...

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.

The Nernst Equation

The Nernst Equation

Nonstandard Reaction Conditions
The interconnection between standard cell potentials and various thermodynamic parameters such as the standard free energy change ΔG° and equilibrium constant K has been previously explored. For example, a redox reaction involving zinc(II) and tin(II) ions at 1 M concentration with Eºcell = +0.291 V and ΔG° = −56.2 kJ is spontaneous.

Entropy

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...

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

Experimentally, if object A is in equilibrium with object B, and object B is in equilibrium with object C, then object A is in equilibrium with object C. That statement of transitivity is called the "zeroth law of thermodynamics." For example, a cold metal block and a hot metal block are both placed on a metal plate at room temperature. Eventually, the cold block and the plate will be in thermal equilibrium. In addition, the hot block and the plate will be in thermal equilibrium.

Gibbs Free Energy

Gibbs Free Energy

One of the challenges of using the second law of thermodynamics to determine if a process is spontaneous is that it requires measurements of the entropy change for the system and the entropy change for the surroundings. An alternative approach involving a new thermodynamic property defined in terms of system properties only was introduced in the late nineteenth century by American mathematician Josiah Willard Gibbs. This new property is called the Gibbs free energy (G) (or simply the free...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Machine Learning-Based Model for Predicting Short- and Long-Term Growth in Untreated Class III Malocclusion.

Orthodontics & craniofacial research·2026

Same author

Ising models of cooperativity in muscle contraction.

Physical review. E·2026

Same author

Accelerated First-Passage Dynamics in a Non-Markovian Feedback Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process.

Journal of statistical physics·2025

Same author

Charging a quantum spin network with superextensive precision.

Physical review. E·2025

Same author

Learning-Based Models for Predicting IVIG Resistance and Coronary Artery Lesions in Kawasaki Disease: A Review of Technical Aspects and Study Features.

Paediatric drugs·2025

Same author

Learning in Wilson-Cowan Model for Metapopulation.

Neural computation·2025

Same journal

Erratum: Low-dimensional model for adaptive networks of spiking neurons [Phys. Rev. E 111, 014422 (2025)].

Physical review. E·2026

Same journal

Disentangling the effects of many-body forces on depletion interactions.

Physical review. E·2026

Same journal

Charge transport and mode transition in dual-energy electron beam diodes.

Physical review. E·2026

Same journal

Optimization of multisite reactions in complex compartmentalized media.

Physical review. E·2026

Same journal

Origin of geometric cohesion in nonconvex granular materials: Interplay between interdigitation and rotational constraints enhancing frictional stability.

Physical review. E·2026

Same journal

Interaction of walkers with a standing Faraday wave.

Physical review. E·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2025

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Published on: January 16, 2016

Generalized Landauer bound from absolute irreversibility.

Lorenzo Buffoni¹, Francesco Coghi², Stefano Gherardini^3,4,5

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.

Physical Review. E

|March 16, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers generalized the Landauer bound for information erasure, considering irreversible dynamics. This new bound for average erasure work is tighter than existing bounds and validated by experiments.

More Related Videos

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Published on: November 11, 2013

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Published on: May 14, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2025

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Published on: January 16, 2016

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor

Published on: November 11, 2013

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Irrelevant Stimuli and Action Control: Analyzing the Influence of Ignored Stimuli via the Distractor-Response Binding Paradigm

Published on: May 14, 2014

Area of Science:

Thermodynamics
Information Theory
Statistical Mechanics

Background:

The Landauer bound sets a minimum energy cost for erasing information.
Previous bounds were limited, particularly for irreversible processes and asymmetric bits.

Purpose of the Study:

To generalize the Landauer bound for information erasure processes.
To account for absolutely irreversible dynamics and imperfect erasure scenarios.

Main Methods:

Derivation of a generalized Landauer bound based on absolutely irreversible dynamics.
Analysis of erasure processes with zero forward probability for certain trajectories.
Theoretical modeling and numerical experiments.

Main Results:

A novel, tighter generalized Landauer bound for average erasure work was derived.
The bound is applicable to imperfect erasure and asymmetric bits.
Theoretical predictions were validated through numerical simulations.

Conclusions:

The generalized Landauer bound provides a more accurate and encompassing limit for information erasure.
This work advances the understanding of thermodynamics in information processing, especially under irreversible conditions.