The Road to Maxwell's demon

"Time asymmetric phenomena are successfully predicted by statistical mechanics. Yet the foundations of this theory are surprisingly shaky. Its explanation for the ease of mixing milk with coffee is incomplete, and even implies that un-mixing them should be just as easy. In this book the authors...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Hemmo, Meir (-)
Otros Autores: Shenker, Orly
Formato: Libro electrónico
Idioma:Inglés
Publicado: Cambridge, U.K. ; New York : Cambridge University Press 2012.
Colección:EBSCO Academic eBook Collection Complete.
Acceso en línea:Conectar con la versión electrónica
Ver en Universidad de Navarra:https://innopac.unav.es/record=b38437806*spi
Descripción
Sumario:"Time asymmetric phenomena are successfully predicted by statistical mechanics. Yet the foundations of this theory are surprisingly shaky. Its explanation for the ease of mixing milk with coffee is incomplete, and even implies that un-mixing them should be just as easy. In this book the authors develop a new conceptual foundation for statistical mechanics that addresses this difficulty. Explaining the notions of macrostates, probability, measurement, memory, and the arrow of time in statistical mechanics, they reach the startling conclusion that Maxwell's Demon, the famous perpetuum mobile, is consistent with the fundamental physical laws. Mathematical treatments are avoided where possible, and instead the authors use novel diagrams to illustrate the text. This is a fascinating book for graduate students and researchers interested in the foundations and philosophy of physics."--
Descripción Física:xii, 327 p. : il
Formato:Forma de acceso: World Wide Web.
Bibliografía:Incluye referencias bibliográficas e índice.
ISBN:9781139095167
9781139569118
9781139572675