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Kahn Academy it is! Thank you. </div>
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Pieter, I have had a lifetime of experiences with experts who agree that the answer to my question is so obvious that I should not be asking it, but who, when brought together, cannot agree on an answer. That's what I mean by the emperor's new clothes paradigm.
Is "entropy" such a situation? Or does "entropy" a code for disparate conceptions? If so, is that OK? Or is it a disequilibrium, a tension that must in time be relaxed?</div>
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I hoped I had conveyed in my posts my profound skepticism about George. Perhaps not. For instance, he repeatedly will assert that compression increases entropy, which consensus contradicts. That is such a terrible blunder that I asked him to report himself
to his bosses, which he promised to do. But, being the person he is, he may or may not have done so. </div>
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Nick</div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> Friam <friam-bounces@redfish.com> on behalf of Pieter Steenekamp <pieters@randcontrols.co.za><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 17, 2025 1:23 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [FRIAM] Entropy RE-redux</font>
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<div dir="ltr">Nick,<br>
<br>
Tread carefully when using George as a tutor—especially if you're aiming to go deep rather than just skim the surface.<br>
<br>
If you want to feel entropy in your bones, I wouldn’t rely too much on standard AI models (like our friend George here). He has a tendency to hallucinate—not in a poetic, Einstein-on-a-bike kind of way, but more in the “sending-you-down-the-wrong-rabbit-hole”
sense. The nuances of entropy are subtle, and it’s easy to be misled if your guide has a shaky grip on the terrain.<br>
<br>
So, what do I suggest? Abandon George altogether in your quest for entropy?<br>
<br>
Not quite. Start with Khan Academy (<a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/">https://www.khanacademy.org/</a>) — their basic thermodynamics content gives you a solid foundation, and yes, entropy is part of the curriculum. It's clear, structured, and free.<br>
<br>
If you hit a wall, consider their premium AI tutor, Khanmigo (<a href="https://www.khanmigo.ai/">https://www.khanmigo.ai/</a>) . This is also a George—but one designed specifically to teach, not just chat. He's less likely to wander off-topic and more likely
to actually help you make sense of the second law of thermodynamics. It's not free though.<br>
<br>
Hope that helps!</div>
<br>
<div class="x_gmail_quote x_gmail_quote_container">
<div dir="ltr" class="x_gmail_attr">On Tue, 17 Jun 2025 at 05:32, Santafe <<a href="mailto:desmith@santafe.edu">desmith@santafe.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
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<div>Zen moment Nick: <br id="x_m_8486331768680189560lineBreakAtBeginningOfMessage">
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<div>On Jun 17, 2025, at 12:00, Nicholas Thompson <<a href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com" target="_blank">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div>
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<div dir="auto"> I’ve gone back to feeling that I don’t even know enough to ask a question.</div>
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<div><br>
</div>
<div>Just there for an instant, the teacup dipped below full. btw.: this sentence is a wonderful encapsulation of the difference between the metaphysician and the scientist. Welcome back.</div>
<div><br>
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<div>Frank’s language below is good. It’s work to understand it, of course, but the crucial starting point is that it admits an understanding because there is a consistent thing being asserted.</div>
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<div>Eric</div>
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<div>You've probably done this. Nick.</div>
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<div dir="auto">Yes, entropy (S) is a state variable in thermodynamics.</div>
<div dir="auto">Here's what that means:</div>
<div dir="auto"> * Definition of a State Variable: A state variable (or state function) is a property of a thermodynamic system that depends only on the current state of the system, not on the path or process taken to reach that state. If a system is in a particular
equilibrium state, its state variables will have specific, unique values.</div>
<div dir="auto"> * Why Entropy is a State Variable:</div>
<div dir="auto"> * Path Independence: The change in entropy between two states is the same regardless of the reversible or irreversible path taken to go from the initial state to the final state.</div>
<div dir="auto"> * Unique Value for a Given State: For any given equilibrium state of a system (defined by other state variables like temperature, pressure, and volume), there is a unique value of entropy.</div>
<div dir="auto"> * Mathematical Property: Mathematically, a quantity is a state variable if its differential is an exact differential, meaning that its integral over a closed path is zero. This is true for entropy.</div>
<div dir="auto"> * Contrast with Path Variables: In contrast, quantities like heat (Q) and work (W) are not state variables. The amount of heat transferred or work done depends entirely on the specific path followed during a process.</div>
<div dir="auto">In summary, entropy is a fundamental property that characterizes the state of a thermodynamic system and is independent of its history.</div>
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<div><br>
</div>
<div>---<br>
Frank C. Wimberly<br>
140 Calle Ojo Feliz, <br>
Santa Fe, NM 87505<br>
<br>
505 670-9918<br>
Santa Fe, NM</div>
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<div dir="ltr" class="x_gmail_attr">On Sun, Jun 15, 2025, 9:27 AM Nicholas Thompson <<a href="mailto:thompnickson2@gmail.com" target="_blank">thompnickson2@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
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<div>Same setup as before. Cylinder with two plungers and a peggable slider at dead center. Lets fill our compartments with bbs of the same volume. Unpeg the divider. Now lets tap on the two opposite plungers with a series of blows of the same average magnitude
but different but different positive skew in the distribution of magnitudes. Will the divider move?</div>
<span class="x_gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br>
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<div dir="ltr">
<div>Nicholas S. Thompson</div>
<div>Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology</div>
<div>Clark University</div>
<div><a href="mailto:nthompson@clarku.edu" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">nthompson@clarku.edu</a></div>
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