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  4. If the Universe is expanding, what's happening to entropy?
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If the Universe is expanding, what's happening to entropy?

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Offline ProjectSailor (OP)

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If the Universe is expanding, what's happening to entropy?
« on: 21/04/2017 10:47:18 »
I have got really confused by the definition of the laws of thermodynamics and how they are represented.

0. Heat flows from a difference in temp.
1. Energy cannot be created or destroyed
2. Entropy always goes up
3. at t=0 entropy equals 0

This basically says to me...

1.  higher t = higher entropy
2. t is always going up
3. So everything that ever happens is irreversible and will eventually turn the universe into a giant oven.

BUT..

The universe is expanding, meaning volume change, meaning temperature drop, so entropy is decreasing.. OR is the rate of the universe expanding maintaining a constant level of entropy in the system?

I don't get it. someone must be wrong and although it is probably me, I cant spot the logic holes.
« Last Edit: 21/04/2017 18:05:38 by chris »
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Offline Kryptid

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Re: Laws of thermodynamics
« Reply #1 on: 21/04/2017 17:14:48 »
Higher temperature doesn't mean higher entropy. An increase in entropy over time can also be seen as a loss of the capacity of a system to do work over time (the total energy remains the same, but it is converted from potential energy into kinetic energy). At absolute zero, the entropy is only zero for perfect crystals.
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Tags: physics  / entropy  / universe expansion  / thermodynamics 
 

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