Heat death paradox
The heat death paradox, also known as thermodynamic paradox, Clausius' paradox, and Kelvin's paradox,
The paradox
Assuming that the universe is eternal, a question arises: How is it that thermodynamic equilibrium has not already been achieved?[4]
This theoretical paradox is directed at the then-mainstream strand of belief in a classical view of a
The paradox was based upon the rigid mechanical point of view of the second law of thermodynamics postulated by Rudolf Clausius and Lord Kelvin, according to which heat can only be transferred from a warmer to a colder object. It notes: if the universe were eternal, as claimed classically, it should already be cold and isotropic (its objects should have the same temperature, and the distribution of matter or radiation should be even).[4] Kelvin compared the universe to a clock that runs slower and slower, constantly dissipating energy in impalpable heat, although he was unsure whether it would stop for ever (reach thermodynamic equilibrium). According to this model, the existence of usable energy, which can be used to perform work and produce entropy, means that the clock has not stopped - since a conversion of heat in mechanical energy (which Kelvin called a rejuvenating universe scenario) is not contemplated.[5][2]
According to the laws of thermodynamics, any hot object transfers heat to its cooler surroundings, until everything is at the same
Kelvin's solution
In February 1862, Lord Kelvin used the existence of the
Since there are stars and colder objects, the universe is not in thermodynamic equilibrium, so it cannot be infinitely old.Modern cosmology
The paradox does not arise in the
Related paradoxes
See also
- Entropy (arrow of time)
- Graphical timeline from Big Bang to Heat Death
- Heat death of the universe
- List of paradoxes
- Thermodynamic temperature
References
- .
- ^ a b c Thomson, William (1862). "On the Age of the Sun's Heat". Macmillan's Magazine. Vol. 5. pp. 388–393.
- ^
Smith, Crosbie; ISBN 978-0-521-26173-9.
- ^ arXiv:0812.1679 [physics.hist-ph].
- ^ Otis, Laura (2002). "Literature and Science in the Nineteenth Century: An Anthology". OUP Oxford. Vol. 1. pp. 60–67.
- ^ Laws of Thermodynamics Thompson and Clausius, Oxford University Press, 2015
- ^ Carroll, Sean (29 December 2008). "Richard Feynman on Boltzmann Brains". Retrieved 24 June 2019.