Re: Interesting Chemical Reaction (fwd)

[Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>]

Forwarded message:

> Subject: Re: Interesting Chemical Reaction (fwd)
> Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 15:43:31 -0600 (CST)

> Forwarded message:
> 
> > Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 16:34:15 -0500
> > From: ghio@temp0203.myriad.ml.org (Matthew Ghio)
> > Subject: Re: Interesting Chemical Reaction
> 
> > > Because the thermodynamics assume a *closed* model. The base assumption of
> > > your model is that it is closed. This means that not only the mirror, and
> > > the two focii are in the system, but also the light source. When taken as a
> > > whole the entropy is constant. Now if you allow the light to pass through
> > > the mirror from outside an initial axiomatic assumption, a closed system,
> > > is broken.
> > 
> > Assume that the mirrors completely surround the objects, and that the only
> > light source is IR thermal radiation, and that the mirrors are insulated
> > from the outsite world, so we can assume a closed system.
> > 
> > By the laws of optics, one focus should get warmer than the other, but by
> > the law of entropy they must remain at the same temperature.  That's the
> > paradox.
> 
> No, the total energy of the *system* stays constant, not individual
> componants which are free to heat up or cool down as the energy in the
> system is moved around. The total entropy of the lenses, the cold foci,
> and the warm foci are what stays constant.

A couple of other points that I should have added. Your base assumption that
light and heat are not the same thing is faulty. They are in fact identical
so to speak of the 'law of optics' and the 'laws of thermodynamics' as
different things is in error.

What happens in the *real* world is that a point is reached where the amount
of energy emitted by each foci exactly balances the amount of energy
received by each foci. We in effect reach thermodynamic equilibrium, better
known as heat death. This term means that the minimal level of disorder has
been reached by the system under study and without outside intervention no
change, outside quantum fluctuations, will take place.


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