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0 pointsluispauloml3y ago0 comments

I had to study entropy twice in college for different courses that were 2 years apart from each other, and I still remember this one quote I read somewhere:

  The first time you study entropy, you won't understand it. The second time you study it, you'll think you understood it until you realize you didn't. By the third time you study it, you just don't care anymore and just use it.

10 years after graduating, and I haven't encontered entropy again after the second time, so you can guess where I'm at in this quote. But thank you, for now I know how to attack it if I ever need it again.

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btrettel3y ago

Entropy is basically a useful quantity. It's no more mysterious than enthalpy or Gibbs free energy, both of which have also caused me confusion in the past.

To me, the issue with entropy is that it's initially presented without clear justification, so people don't know why it's important. Statistical mechanics made it clear to me that the state with the most entropy is the most likely to occur in equilibrium. (Statements about entropy representing "disorder" and whatnot in my opinion are handwavy, often lead to confusion, and should be avoided.)

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