The direct link between landauer s and bennett s work on computation and maxwell s demon came in 1982 with bennett s observation article 4. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer scienceand linkages have been established between maxwell s demon and each of these disciplines. A physical thought experiment demonstrating how just the possession of information might in principle have thermodynamic consequences was established in 1929 by leo szilard, in a refinement of the famous maxwells demon scenario. Maxwell s demon is a thought experiment created by the physicist james clerk maxwell in 1867 in which he suggested how the second law of thermodynamics might hypothetically be violated. Maxwell s demon was born in 1867 and still thrives in modern physics. Its a thought experiment which demonstrates that the concept of entropy from information theory and the concept of entropy from thermodynamics are really about the same thing, and connected in a very physical way. Entropy, information, computing princeton series in. The author, a giant of twentiethcentury mathematics, applies the principles of information theory to a variety of issues, including maxwell s demon, thermodynamics, and measurement problems. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer scienceand linkages have been established between maxwells demon and each of these disciplines.
The experiment first appeared in an exchange of letters between maxwell and peter tait around 1867. The paradox a character who has played an important role in the history of physics, particularly in thermodynamics and information, is maxwells demon. As the dictionary entry above shows, maxwells demon is no more than a simple idea. One of the best established facts in thermodynamics is that it is impossible in a system. Maxwells demon is a thought experiment created by the physicist james clerk maxwell in. These are videos from the introduction to complexity online course hosted on complexity explorer.
About 120 years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his now legendary. Maxwells demon the loophole the experiment first appeared in an exchange of letters between maxwell and peter tait around 1867. This book is about the history and evolution of the what heat is heat while containing many while the perpetual motion machine breaks the 1st law of thermodynamics, maxwells demon breaks the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Maxwells demon, hypothetical intelligent being or a functionally equivalent device capable of detecting and reacting to the motions of individual molecules. Maxwells demon news newspapers books scholar jstor march 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
What maxwells demon does is allow heat to flow backwards reverse the arrow of time, if you like by using information about the molecular speed. Maxwell s demon in 1867 james clerk maxwell suggested that a sentient being capable of. James clerk maxwell frse frs june 1831 5 november 1879 was a scottish scientist in the field of mathematical physics. The book is named for james clerk maxwell s little imaginary genius, who could make your latte boil out of your travel mug given a chance. This problem has led to very interesting links between physics, information theory and the theory of computation from concepts of information entropy brillouin, szilard, shannon to reversible computing landauer, bennett. And this is the same maxwell famous for maxwell s equation, so he obviously dealt with a lot of things. Entropy, information, computing in 1990, maxwell s demon has been the subject of renewed and increased interest by numerous researchers in the fields mentioned above. Interweaving his theory of global disorder with issues on the world stagecoupled with a disquisition on board games and the cell phone app angry birdsschwellers thesis yields astonishing insights. This schematic sequence is used to illustrate maxwells demon, following maxwell s original description in 2.
An annotated chronological bibliography provides a colourful perspective on maxwells demon and a rich trail of citations for further study. Mar 12, 2018 origin and history of maxwells demon the idea was first floated in december 11, 1867, by maxwell in a letter to peter guthrie tait, his fellow scientist. Essentially, this law states that heat does not naturally flow from a cool body to a warmer. Will include dust jacket if it originally came with one.
By detecting the positions and velocities of gas molecules in two neighboring chambers and using that information to time the opening and closing of a trapdoor that separates them, a tiny, intelligent being could, in theory, sort molecules by velocity. This was presented in his 1871 book theory of heat and is as follows. Jul 23, 2007 maxwell s demon was born in 1867 and still thrives in modern physics. As individual gas molecules approach the door, the demon quickly opens and shuts the door so that only fast molecules are. The wrath of maxwell s demon that information theory does not say anything useful about maxwell s demon. His most notable achievement was to formulate the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, bringing together for the first time electricity, magnetism, and light as different manifestations of the same phenomenon. Discarding it leads to immediate increase in entropy but the demon cannot. An annotated chronological bibliography provides a colourful perspective on maxwell s demon and a rich trail of citations for further study. Over years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his hypothetical demon as a challenge to the scope of the second law of thermodynamics. This book brings together 25 reprints, including seminal works by maxwell, which address the demon as it affects concepts in quantum physics and information science.
It was later unveiled to the public in maxwells book on thermodynamics titled theory of heat, published in 1872. Maxwells demon in 1867 james clerk maxwell suggested that a sentient being capable of observing molecular motions might be able to bring about a violation of the second law of thermodynamics through a systematic sorting of molecules. The existence of maxwells demon is a direct threat to the second law of thermodynamics. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science, and links have been established between maxwell s demon and each of these disciplines. This is entirely consistent with shannons own approach. Maxwells demon and the golden apple will appeal to leaders of multinational corporations and government. But the textbook accounts already rely on our thermodynamic experience, only. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Yet it has challenged some of the best scientific minds, and its extensive literature spans thermodynamics, statistical physics, information theory, cybernetics, the limits of computing, biological sciences and the history and philosophy of science. Maxwells demon and the second law of thermodynamics p radhakrishnamurty a century and a half ago, maxwell introduced a thought. This book is more than an exposition of maxwells demon. Aside from the obvious operating difficulties that are waved away by.
This second law normally says that heat flows only from hot to cold. Its impact has been crucial to the success of the voyager missions to deep space. Nov 15, 2010 maxwell s demon was the invention of scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist james clerk maxwell, who wanted to contradict the second law of thermodynamics although the name was given to. As individual gas molecules approach the door, the demon quickly opens and. James clerk maxwells idea for violating the second law of thermodynamics. This law forbids among other things two bodies of equal temperature, brought in contact with each other and isolated from the rest of the universe, from evolving to a state in which one of the two has a significantly.
It was imagined by james clerk maxwell in 1871, to illustrate the possibility of violating the second law of thermodynamics. Sep, 2018 these are videos from the introduction to complexity online course hosted on complexity explorer. About 120 years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his now legendary hypothetical demon as a challenge to the integrity of the second law of thermodynamics. The demon was invented by maxwell, one of the founders of thermodynamics and electromagnetic field theory, to challenge the second law of thermodynamics. When information becomes functional and physical j. In this paper, we will underline the flaw that exists in maxwells demon paradox using chemical.
At one point, oedipa walks across the campus of the university of california. If the supernatural demon knows which half of the box the particle is in equivalent to a. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Entropy, information, computing princeton series in physics paperback july 14, 2014. Here, we present the history of the demon and a variety of interesting consequences of the second law of thermodynamics, mainly in quantum mechanics, but also in the. Although lot 49 is an experimental book that plays with narrative form and the nature of fiction, it is also totally spot on as far as social detail goes. The crying of lot 49 gives him the opportunity to parody the culture in which he became immersed, however briefly. Entropy from information theory entered the scene as well, during 1930s. Maxwells demon is a thought provoking examination of the connection of information and thermodynamics. Concluding chapters explore the associations between information theory, the uncertainty principle, and physical limits of observation, in addition to problems related to computing, organizing information, and inevitable errors. Information theory studies the quantification, storage, and communication of information.
Connecting the problem of maxwell s demon with that of brownian. And it has a very tantalizing name, maxwell s demon. Entropy, information, computing princeton legacy library by. Scientists in japan are the first to have succeeded in converting information into free energy in an experiment that verifies the maxwell demon. A classic source for exploring the connections between information theory and physics, this text is geared toward upperlevel undergraduates and graduate students. The demon was introduced to a public audience by james clerk maxwell in his 1871 book, theory of heat. Entropy, classical and quantum information, computing. Maxwells demon 2 entropy, classical and quantum information, computing. This book gives a concise overview of maxwells demon and its impact on the. Entropy in thermodynamics and information theory wikipedia. Jul 17, 20 a discussion of the negentropy principle of information introduces brillouin s renowned examination of maxwell s demon. Speeds on the two sides a and b follow the same distribution, with some faster and some slower. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book.
We will not attempt in the continuous case to obtain our results with the greatest generality, or with the extreme. Consider maxwells setup, but with only a single gas particle in a box. About 120 years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his now legendary hypo. Maxwells demon demonstration turns information into energy. In a famously brief book, shannon prefaced his account of information theory for continuous variables with these words. Since then this being, dubbed maxwells demon by lord kelvin, has been an active topic of. Pdf maxwells demon and the second law of thermodynamics.
Different demons maxwells device described above is an example of what is called a temperature demon, because it creates a temperature difference that can. It came near the book s end in a section called limitation of the second law of thermodynamics. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Apparently, though, it was not maxwell who called it a demon. Schematic figure of maxwells demon thought experiment. From maxwell s demon to landauers eraser thought experiments that long puzzled the thermodynamics community are now being performed in the laband theyre forging a deeper understanding of the second law. Well, it turns out that living organisms are packed full of maxwell demons. Entropy, classical and quantum information, computing, is an updated and expanded version of the original. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science, and links. During the first epoch discussions centering on maxwell s demon undoubtedly contributed to the muchneeded shaping and sharpening of.
About 120 years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his hypothetical demon as a challenge to the second law of thermodynamics. Eric lutz is a professor of theoretical physics at the university of erlangennuremberg in erlangen, germany. Maxwells demon 2 entropy, classical and quantum information. The name demon was first used by william thomson in the nature newspaper in 1874. Here, we present the history of the demon and a variety of interesting consequences of the second law of thermodynamics, mainly in quantum mechanics, but also in the theory of gravity. Maxwells demon, a hypothetical being that appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, has been widely studied since it was first proposed in 1867 by james clerk maxwell. All these guys, you know, they all meddle in everything. With their input, maxwell presented the idea to the public in 1972 through a book titled theory of heat. If successful, they decrease the total entropy of the universe, thereby violating the. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science, and links have been established between maxwell s demon and. Mar 20, 2011 gleick ranges over the scientific landscape in a looping itinerary that takes the reader from maxwells demon to godels theorem, from black holes to selfish genes. He plays important roles in clarifying the connections between two theories.
In his 1867 thought experiment, maxwells demon, james clerk maxwell. Entropy, information, computing makes the key literature easily available and helps with the crossfertilisation of ideas in different disciplines. In 1871, maxwell again wrote to john william strutt on the same idea. Information theory a tutorial introduction o information. Video also covers reconciling the information theory of entropy with the macrostate. In the thought experiment, a demon controls a small door between two chambers of gas. Buy maxwells demon 2 entropy, classical and quantum information, computing on. General article maxwells demon and the second law of. Leff 2016, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Entropy, classical and quantum information, computing retains many of the seminal papers that appeared in the first edition, including the original thoughts of james clerk maxwell and william thomson. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science and linkages have been established. Different demons maxwells device described above is an example of what is called a temperature demon, because it creates a temperature difference that can be used to run a heat engine. His research was based on the two laws of thermodynamics.
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