▲ 0 r/thermodynamics+1 crossposts

Maxwell's Demon

Hi, I'm currently learning about Maxwell's Demon in stat mech and the whole "where did the entropy go" question. I understand the whole journey to Landauers principle, but I feel like im going crazy over the general proposition in the first place?

Like fundamentally the postulate of being able to open a partition (in any manner) for ZERO energy cost, like we just handwave away the physics of opening the partition and then wonder "OMG where did the free energy go/leave to!?!??"

Like guys... we stated a physically impossible thought experiment, its there, its in the moving of the partition... The partition needs SOME physical prescence to reflect molecules and maintain itself at T of the gas (to allow black body radiation principles to work).

To me its like saying, imagine there was no friction in this water wheel, itll spin forever blah blah blah, then asking "WHY DOES THIS GIVE US FREE ENERGY!?!?"

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u/Expressyoself123 — 7 days ago