3 ms·
Maxwell’s Demon Continues to Startle Scientists
- gus_massa 6y agoI read the experiment "in 2010, another team devised a way to use the energy produced by the demon’s information to coax a bead uphill;" https://www.nature.com/news/2010/101114/full/news.2010.606.html https://www.nature.com/news/2010/101114/full/news.2010.606.h... The relevant part is: > They watched the motion of the bead, and when it randomly turned anticlockwise they quickly adjusted the voltage — the equivalent of Maxwell's demon slamming the door shut on a gas molecule — making it tougher for the bead to turn back clockwise. The bead is thus encouraged to keep climbing "upstairs", without any energy being directly imparted to the bead, says Sano. > The experiment does not actually violate the second law of thermodynamics, because in the system as a whole, energy must be consumed by the equipment — and the experimenters — to monitor the bead and switch the voltage as needed. But it does show that information can be used as a medium to transfer energy, says Sano. The bead is driven as a mini-rotor, with a information-to-energy conversion efficiency of 28%. So they didn't make a Maxwell' Demon. It's just a very inefficient motor with a overhyped story around it.