On Friday, October 16, 2020 at 1:42:25 AM UTC-6, Jason wrote: > > > > On Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 1:47 AM Alan Grayson <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> >> >> On Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 4:51:13 PM UTC-6, Jason wrote: >>> >>> I noticed that Victor Stenger's position on entropy, as described here: >>> https://arxiv.org/pdf/1202.4359.pdf on page 7, appears to be the same >>> as described by the cosmologist David Layzer in a 1975 issue of Scientific >>> American: >>> https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/assets/media/pdf/2008-05-21_1975-carroll-story.pdf >>> >>> The basic idea, which is described graphically here: >>> https://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/layzer/arrow_of_time.html >>> >>> It is a counter-argument to the commonly expressed idea that the >>> universe began in a low entropy state. Rather, it explains how the >>> expansion of the universe increases the state of maximum possible entropy. >>> If the universe expands more quickly than an equilibrium can be reached, >>> then there is room for complexity (information / negative entropy) to >>> increase. >>> >>> Why is it that the "low entropy" myth is so persistent, and this >>> alternate explanation is so little known? Some physicists, such as Penrose >>> are still looking for alternate explanations for the special low entropy >>> state. What fraction of physicists are aware of Stenger's/Layzer's view? >>> Does it appear in any physics textbooks? Has it been refuted? >>> >>> Jason >>> >> >> *If the very early universe is a hot photon gas, wouldn't that be a very >> high entropy initial condition? Why would anyone think the initial state is >> low entropy? AG* >> >> >> > > Entropy could begin at or near it's maximum, but if the maximum entropy > grows faster than the actual entropy, it provides room for entropy to grow. > See: https://informationphilosopher.com/solutions/scientists/layzer/ > > > > Jason >
*For a given volume, the entropy is what it is, related to the possible microstates as given by Boltzmann's formula. If the volume increases, the entropy increases, and it starts at a maximum level depending on the volume of the very early universe. So I see no distinguishing the Actual Entropy from the Maximum Possible Entropy. AG* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/301ff341-81ed-471e-b345-d739a7ef4e07o%40googlegroups.com.
