Heat death of the universe (nonfiction): Difference between revisions

From Gnomon Chronicles
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 17: Line 17:
Footnotes:
Footnotes:


* Lord Kelvin's death "not related to heat death of universe," according to investigators.
* Lord Kelvin's death in 1907 "not related to heat death of universe," according to investigators.


== Nonfiction cross-reference ==
== Nonfiction cross-reference ==

Revision as of 10:26, 16 June 2016

Lord Kelvin originated the idea of universal heat death in 1852.

The heat death of the universe is a possible ultimate fate of the universe in which the universe has diminished to a state of no thermodynamic free energy and therefore can no longer sustain processes that increase entropy (including computation and life).

Heat death does not imply any particular absolute temperature; it only requires that temperature differences or other processes may no longer be exploited to perform work.

In the language of physics, this is when the universe reaches thermodynamic equilibrium (maximum entropy).

In the News

Fiction cross-reference

Footnotes:

  • Lord Kelvin's death in 1907 "not related to heat death of universe," according to investigators.

Nonfiction cross-reference

External links: