This was presented in his 1871 book theory of heat and is as follows. 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. Buy maxwells demon 2 entropy, classical and quantum information, computing on. Entropy, information, computing by harvey leff, in like new condition. Maxwells demon was an instant source of fascination and led to many important results, including the development of a thermodynamic theory of information. Because its primary literature is scattered throughout research journals, semipopular books, monographs on information theory and a variety of specialty books, maxwells demon is somewhat familiar to many but well known only to very few. We then computed the entropy decrease created by this demon using the refrigerated. A classic source for exploring the connections between information theory and physics, this text is geared toward upperlevel undergraduates and graduate students.
A later tradition sought to exorcise maxwells demon by assessing the entropic cost of the demons processing of information. If the supernatural demon knows which half of the box the particle is in equivalent to a. Maxwells demon in its many forms has captured the imagination of both scientists and the general public. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science and linkages have been established. And it has a very tantalizing name, maxwells demon. Quantum dynamics, entropy and quantum versions of maxwell. It deals with concepts such as information, entropy, information transmission, data. Weinberg on the decrease of entropy in a thermodynamic system by the intervention of intelligent beings l. Maxwells demon 2 entropy, classical and quantum information, computing. Maxwells demon was the invention of scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist james clerk maxwell, who wanted to contradict the second law of. Because its primary literature is scattered throughout research journals, semipopular books, monographs on information theory and a variety of specialty books, maxwell s demon is somewhat familiar to many but well known only to very few.
This second law normally says that heat flows only from hot to cold. 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. 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. Discarding it leads to immediate increase in entropy but the demon cannot. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory and computer science, and links have been established between maxwells demon and each of these disciplines. About 120 years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his now legendary hypo. 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. Entropy, information, computing princeton series in. A discussion of the negentropy principle of information introduces brillouins renowned examination of maxwells demon. This book gives a concise overview of maxwells demon and its impact on the.
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. 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 news newspapers books scholar jstor march 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message. Entropy, information, computing makes the key literature easily available and helps with the crossfertilisation of ideas in different disciplines. 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.
Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science, and links have been established between maxwells demon and each of these disciplines. Denbigh on the relation between information and energy systems. 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. All these guys, you know, they all meddle in everything. 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. Maxwells demon and the golden apple will appeal to leaders of multinational corporations and government. Essentially, this law states that heat does not naturally flow from a cool body to a warmer. Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science which originated primarily in the work of claude shannon and his colleagues in the 1940s. Demon in the title refers to an idea in physics called maxwells demon who is a tiny sentient entity who in theory could reverse the direction of entropy if he could open or close a door, keeping hot molecules on one side and letting cold ones escape to the other. Over years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his hypothetical demon as a challenge to the scope of the second law of thermodynamics.
As the dictionary entry above shows, maxwells demon is no more than a simple idea. The author, a giant of 20thcentury mathematics, applies the principles of information theory to a variety of issues, including maxwells demon, thermodynamics, and measurement problems. The book is named for james clerk maxwells little imaginary genius, who could make your latte boil out of your travel mug given a chance. Schematic figure of maxwells demon thought experiment. Maxwells demon demonstration turns information into energy. Entropy in thermodynamics and information theory wikipedia. 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.
Exorcism of maxwells demon university of pittsburgh. If successful, they decrease the total entropy of the universe, thereby violating the. It was imagined by james clerk maxwell in 1871, to illustrate the possibility of violating the second law of thermodynamics. Leff 2016, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay.
Maxwells demon is a thought experiment created by the physicist james clerk maxwell in. He realized that the extra work that can be extracted from the demons action has a cost that. In letters from 1867 and 1871 and then in his 1871 theory of heat, james clerk maxwell described a tiny demon who could reverse the second law of thermodynamics. Topics include brownian motion, thermal noise, information theory, entropy, and the authors personal view of maxwells demon. But a particularly important insight came in the 1960s from the ibm researcher rolf landauer. 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. Its impact has been crucial to the success of the voyager missions to deep space. It was later unveiled to the public in maxwell s book on thermodynamics titled theory of heat, published in 1872. Maxwells demon was born in 1867 and still thrives in modern physics. Entropy, information, computing in 1990, maxwells demon has been the subject of renewed and increased interest by numerous researchers in the fields mentioned above. Well, it turns out that living organisms are packed full of maxwell demons.
As individual gas molecules approach the door, the demon quickly. The simplest exorcism of maxwells demon no information needed. The experiment first appeared in an exchange of letters between maxwell and peter tait around 1867. 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. About 120 years ago, james clerk maxwell introduced his now legendary. 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. An annotated chronological bibliography provides a colourful perspective on maxwells demon and a rich trail of citations for further study.
Many new ideas and paradigms have been introduced as a result of this paradox. The demon simply opened and closed an opening between two portions of a vessel filled with air so. Maxwells demon, hypothetical intelligent being or a functionally equivalent device capable of detecting and reacting to the motions of individual molecules. The most successful exorcism of maxwells demon is smoluchowskis 1912 observation that thermal fluctuations would likely disrupt the operation of any molecularscale demonic machine. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. The author, a giant of twentiethcentury mathematics, applies the principles of information theory to a variety of issues, including maxwells demon, thermodynamics, and measurement problems.
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