[FRIAM] Entropy RE-redux

Tue Jun 17 09:23:12 EDT 2025

Clarification:  that's Gemini's language.  I just suggested to Nick that
asking if entropy is a state variable would be clarifying.  For me it was.

---
Frank C. Wimberly
140 Calle Ojo Feliz,
Santa Fe, NM 87505

505 670-9918
Santa Fe, NM

On Mon, Jun 16, 2025, 9:32 PM Santafe <desmith at santafe.edu> wrote:

> Zen moment Nick:
>
> On Jun 17, 2025, at 12:00, Nicholas Thompson <thompnickson2 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>  I’ve gone back to feeling that  I don’t even know enough to ask a
> question.
>
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
> Eric
>
> 
> You've probably done this. Nick.
>
> Yes, entropy (S) is a state variable in thermodynamics.
> Here's what that means:
>  * 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.
>  * Why Entropy is a State Variable:
>    * 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.
>    * 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.
>    * 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.
>  * 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.
> In summary, entropy is a fundamental property that characterizes the state
> of a thermodynamic system and is independent of its history.
>
>
> ---
> Frank C. Wimberly
> 140 Calle Ojo Feliz,
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/140+Calle+Ojo+Feliz,++Santa+Fe,+NM+87505?entry=gmail&source=g>
> Santa Fe, NM 87505
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/140+Calle+Ojo+Feliz,++Santa+Fe,+NM+87505?entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> 505 670-9918
> Santa Fe, NM
>
> On Sun, Jun 15, 2025, 9:27 AM Nicholas Thompson <thompnickson2 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> 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?
>> --
>> Nicholas S. Thompson
>> Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology
>> Clark University
>> nthompson at clarku.edu
>> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson
>> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwordpress.clarku.edu%2fnthompson&c=E,1,66C6e2iSekxSeQbiB_ZsTxOriBnqwKBTLqh8i1LVfbmh_RUPGnaMoA2X0XzGSNY1OSNIGVKq5JGhttJ4FEmJsNpv71mRlspOCeviAChun__2&typo=1>
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