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.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

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 Théorie analytique de la chaleur
surface form: 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's demon thought experiment
surface form: Maxwell demon

Maxwell's demon thought experiment
surface form: 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–Gibbs entropy in statistical mechanics
surface form: Boltzmann entropy

Landauer's principle
Shannon entropy
surface form: Shannon information

Maxwell's demon thought experiment self-linksurface differs
surface form: 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

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

James Clerk Maxwell knownFor Maxwell's demon thought experiment
Maxwell's demon thought experiment relatedConcept Maxwell's demon thought experiment self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Szilard engine
Maxwell's demon thought experiment hasAlternativeName Maxwell's demon thought experiment
this entity surface form: Maxwell demon
Maxwell's demon thought experiment hasAlternativeName Maxwell's demon thought experiment
this entity surface form: Maxwell's demon paradox
Landauer's principle usedInArgument Maxwell's demon thought experiment
this entity surface form: Maxwell's demon resolution
Bennett's logical reversibility connectedTo Maxwell's demon thought experiment
this entity surface form: Maxwell's demon thought experiments