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

Entropy01:18

Entropy

3.5K
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...
3.5K
Entropy02:39

Entropy

34.8K
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...
34.8K
Second Law of Thermodynamics02:49

Second Law of Thermodynamics

26.6K
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...
26.6K
Second Law of Thermodynamics00:53

Second Law of Thermodynamics

67.2K
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...
67.2K
The Second Law of Thermodynamics01:14

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

6.6K
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...
6.6K
Entropy Change in Reversible Processes01:10

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

3.2K
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.
3.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Liquid Hopfield model: Retrieval and localization in multicomponent liquid mixtures.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024
Same author

Clustering coefficients for networks with higher order interactions.

Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)·2024
Same author

Multicyclic Norias: A First-Transition Approach to Extreme Values of the Currents.

Journal of statistical physics·2024
Same author

Dynamical systems on large networks with predator-prey interactions are stable and exhibit oscillations.

Physical review. E·2022
Same author

Instabilities of complex fluids with partially structured and partially random interactions.

Physical biology·2022
Same author

Erratum to: Modelling the effect of ribosome mobility on the rate of protein synthesis.

The European physical journal. E, Soft matter·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Large Scale Energy Efficient Sensor Network Routing Using a Quantum Processor Unit
05:30

Large Scale Energy Efficient Sensor Network Routing Using a Quantum Processor Unit

Published on: September 8, 2023

1.1K

Thermodynamic cost of random-time protocols.

Izaak Neri1

  • 1King's College London, Department of Mathematics, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom.

Physical Review. E
|November 18, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study resolves a thermodynamic paradox by showing that memory erasure work always exceeds work gained from random time protocols, linking temporal information and thermodynamics.

More Related Videos

Rapid PCR Thermocycling using Microscale Thermal Convection
09:02

Rapid PCR Thermocycling using Microscale Thermal Convection

Published on: March 5, 2011

23.3K
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

9.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Large Scale Energy Efficient Sensor Network Routing Using a Quantum Processor Unit
05:30

Large Scale Energy Efficient Sensor Network Routing Using a Quantum Processor Unit

Published on: September 8, 2023

1.1K
Rapid PCR Thermocycling using Microscale Thermal Convection
09:02

Rapid PCR Thermocycling using Microscale Thermal Convection

Published on: March 5, 2011

23.3K
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

9.4K

Area of Science:

  • Thermodynamics
  • Information Theory
  • Statistical Mechanics

Background:

  • Systems driven by random time protocols can appear to violate the second law of thermodynamics.
  • Understanding the interplay between temporal information and thermodynamic processes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To resolve the apparent thermodynamic paradox posed by randomly timed external protocols.
  • To establish a framework connecting temporal information and thermodynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of systems with randomly timed protocols and memory devices.
  • Quantifying work done during memory erasure and work gained from protocols.

Main Results:

  • The thermodynamic paradox is resolved when random time outcomes are stored in memory.
  • Average work required to erase memory is consistently greater than average work gained.
  • Demonstrated concrete setups for measuring random times without continuous monitoring.

Conclusions:

  • Temporal information, specifically memory erasure, plays a critical role in thermodynamic processes.
  • The framework is applicable to stochastic resetting protocols and cyclically driven heat engines with random timing.