Science Forums 2

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by patmac

Yeah, but Thermodynamics law for my concept only applies for energy combustion steam etc... For electricity, apply Electromagnetism, and that it ís'nt completly studied yet.

Originally Posted by C1ay

Resistance (resistors) is to electrical circuit what friction is to mechanical system. Again, end of perpetual motion discussion.

C1ay is correct.

The principle of increasing entropy applies not only to physical systems, but even to mathematical ones where not all operations are reversible. Such systems are more common than exceptional – for example, one that allows operations such as S := S + A, and where (S + A) + B = S + C, which include ordinary arithmetic, where 5 = 2 + 3, 5= 1 + 4. In this example, the inability to derive 2 and 3, rather that 1 and 4, from 5, is analogous to not being able to reverse the heat flow of a heat engine or charge battery from an electric motor/generator while continuing to get power from it, or to determine the exact original shape of a broken object, such as a teacup.

The connection between purely mathematically describable information and physical work of any kind is, to physicists dating back at least to Maxwell, and to me, fascinating. It’s been discussed various places in hypography, such as this post and this one. This connection suggests that the laws of thermodynamics are not only a feature of a particular physical system, or of all possible physical systems in the universe, but of all possible physical systems in any conceivable universe even slightly resembling ours.