What happens to the entropy of a perfect crystal as its temperature
Chapter 1

The steam engine's secret

Chapter 2

The probability game

Chapter 3

The arrow of time

Chapter 4

Information and order

Ch 1 · The steam engine's secret
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mankai Walther Nernst investigated the physical limits of absolute zero.

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mankai Tea and Milk Mixing Test

Pour the milk in the tea, it will never unmix, showing time only flows one way.

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Perfect order is only possible when all activity stops.

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mankai Sadi Carnot and his search for the perfect engine

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Sadi Carnot and the perfect engine

mankai His study on steam engine efficiency laid the groundwork for thermodynamics, proving that lost waste heat cannot become useful mechanical work.

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Rudolf Clausius coins the word

mankai He combined Greek words for energy and transformation to define this law

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Puff and Scatter
BETA

mankai Tap to puff and scatter the particles to discover how entropy naturally increases disorder.

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Fun Fact

Coining entropy: German physicist Rudolf Clausius intentionally made the word 'entropy' sound like 'energy' because he believed the two concepts were deeply connected.

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Glossary
entropy (noun)
A thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work. In 1865, Rudolf Clausius introduced the concept to mathematically explain why heat engines cannot achieve perfect efficiency.

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Gossip

Which chore feels like the ultimate, endless battle against entropy?

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Quiz

Why is a 100% efficient heat engine physically impossible according to thermodynamics?

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mankai The irreversible mixing of milk and hot black tea

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Quiz

In 1824, which French engineer published the foundational work on the efficiency of heat engines?

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Quiz

Rudolf Clausius derived the word 'entropy' from which language's word for 'transformation'?

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Quiz

In what year did German physicist Rudolf Clausius officially coin the term 'entropy'?

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Quiz

What happens to the entropy of a perfect crystal as its temperature reaches absolute zero?

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Quiz

What is the temperature of absolute zero measured in Celsius?

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Quiz

When hot tea and cold milk mix, what happens to the overall distribution of thermal energy?

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Quiz

Why do milk and tea never spontaneously unmix after being stirred together?

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