Maxwell's demon thought experiment
E14943
Maxwell's demon thought experiment is a famous conceptual scenario in thermodynamics that imagines an intelligent being seemingly violating the second law by sorting fast and slow gas molecules without expending energy.
Aliases (4)
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
concept in statistical mechanics
→
thermodynamics thought experiment → thought experiment → |
| aimsToIllustrate |
apparent violation of the second law of thermodynamics
→
|
| apparentEffect |
decrease of entropy in an isolated system
→
|
| category |
history of thermodynamics
→
paradox in physics → |
| challenges |
second law of thermodynamics
→
|
| consequence |
one side of the box heats up and the other cools down
→
|
| coreIdea |
an intelligent being can sort fast and slow gas molecules without apparent energy cost
→
|
| describedIn |
Theory of Heat
→
letter to Peter Guthrie Tait → |
| describedInYear |
1871
→
|
| features |
a hypothetical intelligent being called a demon
→
a partitioned box of gas → a small trapdoor between compartments → |
| field |
physics
→
statistical mechanics → thermodynamics → |
| hasAlternativeName |
Maxwell demon
→
Maxwell's demon paradox → |
| influenced |
modern information thermodynamics
→
quantum thermodynamics discussions → |
| inspiredWorkBy |
Charles H. Bennett
→
Leo Szilard → Rolf Landauer → |
| involves |
entropy
→
gas molecules → information → temperature differences → |
| mechanism |
demon opens and closes a door to separate fast and slow molecules
→
|
| proposalYear |
1867
→
|
| proposedBy |
James Clerk Maxwell
→
|
| relatedConcept |
Boltzmann entropy
→
Landauer's principle → Shannon information → Szilard engine → information entropy → |
| resolutionIdea |
entropy increase is associated with memory reset of the demon
→
information acquisition and erasure have thermodynamic costs → |
| status |
does not actually violate the second law when information costs are included
→
|
| teaches |
importance of microscopic fluctuations in thermodynamics
→
role of measurement in physical laws → |
| usedToDiscuss |
foundations of the second law of thermodynamics
→
limits of computation → relationship between information and thermodynamics → |
Referenced by (5)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Maxwell's demon thought experiment
("Maxwell demon")
→
Maxwell's demon thought experiment ("Maxwell's demon paradox") → |
hasAlternativeName |
|
James Clerk Maxwell
→
|
knownFor |
|
Maxwell's demon thought experiment
("Szilard engine")
→
|
relatedConcept |
|
Landauer's principle
("Maxwell's demon resolution")
→
|
usedInArgument |