12:04
PBS Space Time
Computing a Universe Simulation
Is it possible to simulate the entire universe on a computer smaller than the universe?
Reversing Entropy with Maxwell's Demon
PBS Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth. Host Matt O'Dowd breaks down both the basic and incredibly complex sides of space and time.
Reversing Entropy with Maxwell's Demon
Season 4 Episode 33 | 11m 36s | CC
The second law of thermodynamics – the law that entropy must, on average, increase – has been interpreted as the inevitability of the decay of structure. This is … misleading. Structure can develop in one region even as the entropy of the universe rises. Ultimately, entropy is a measure of the availability of free energy – of energy that isn’t hopelessly mixed in thermal equilibrium.
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