4 ms·

this link is > part 2 in a 3-part series about the Second Law: > 1. Computational Foundations for the Second Law of Thermodynamics > 2. A 50-Year Quest: My P

this link is > part 2 in a 3-part series about the Second Law: > 1. Computational Foundations for the Second Law of Thermodynamics > 2. A 50-Year Quest: My Personal Journey with the Second Law of Thermodynamics > 3. How Did We Get Here? The Tangled History of the Second Law of Thermodynamics conundrum: 1. can i win by starting with part 2? 2. will I have a better chance of breaking even if I start with part 1? https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/computational-foundations-for-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics/ https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/computational-fo... 3. do I have to read part 3? time to find out...

ur-whale 4y ago
You could help everyone else win by letting us know of your findings.
Stratoscope 4y ago
It sounds like you already know the answer! You can't win. You can't break even. And you can't get out of the game.
- fsckboy 4y ago
  for n00bs who don't get the joke but will enjoy it, the 3 laws of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, have famously been paraphrased as a casino where [maybe think of this like building a perpetual motion machine] (1) you can't win [if you build a perpetual motion machine, don't expect it to generate extra power to run other things] (2) you can't break even [you can't even build a perpetual motion machine cuz friction etc.] (3) you have to play the game [your entire life is like a failed perpetual motion machine, you only survive by killing other things and even so you're going to run down and die, along with the rest of the universe] but it suffuses everything, more than just perpetual motion machines, like if your coffee water has sugar dissolved in it, don't expect it to climb out and reform crystals, and if you have sugar crystals, it's just going to dissolve itself in humidity in the air, and you can neither stop nor make these things happen. If you think you can, if you figure out a way to get the chaotic dissolved sugar back out of the water as organized crystals (rock candy!), that only happens if you have created even more chaos (evaporating the liquid water, burning carbon to heat the water, etc.) along the way.
- wombatpm 4y ago
  I've heard it as : 1) You can't win 2) In a perfect universe you could break even 3) The universe isn't perfect

ur-whale 4y ago

You could help everyone else win by letting us know of your findings.

Stratoscope 4y ago

It sounds like you already know the answer! You can't win. You can't break even. And you can't get out of the game.

fsckboy 4y ago
for n00bs who don't get the joke but will enjoy it, the 3 laws of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, have famously been paraphrased as a casino where [maybe think of this like building a perpetual motion machine] (1) you can't win [if you build a perpetual motion machine, don't expect it to generate extra power to run other things] (2) you can't break even [you can't even build a perpetual motion machine cuz friction etc.] (3) you have to play the game [your entire life is like a failed perpetual motion machine, you only survive by killing other things and even so you're going to run down and die, along with the rest of the universe] but it suffuses everything, more than just perpetual motion machines, like if your coffee water has sugar dissolved in it, don't expect it to climb out and reform crystals, and if you have sugar crystals, it's just going to dissolve itself in humidity in the air, and you can neither stop nor make these things happen. If you think you can, if you figure out a way to get the chaotic dissolved sugar back out of the water as organized crystals (rock candy!), that only happens if you have created even more chaos (evaporating the liquid water, burning carbon to heat the water, etc.) along the way.
wombatpm 4y ago
I've heard it as : 1) You can't win 2) In a perfect universe you could break even 3) The universe isn't perfect