One of the most important, yet least understood, concepts in all of physics. Head to https://brilliant.org/veritasium to start your free 30-day trial, and the first 200 people get 20% off an annual premium subscription.
If you're looking for a molecular modeling kit, try Snatoms - a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically: https://snatoms.com
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A huge thank you to those who helped us understand different aspects of this complicated topic - Dr. Ashmeet Singh, Supriya Krishnamurthy, Dr. Jos Thijssen, Dr. Bijoy Bera, Dr. Timon Idema, and Dr. Misha Titov.
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References:
Carnot, S. (1824). Reflections on the motive power of heat: and on machines fitted to develop that power. - https://ve42.co/Carnot1890
Harnessing The True Power Of Atoms | Order And Disorder Documentaries, Spark via YouTube - https://ve42.co/OrderDisorder
A better description of entropy, Steve Mould via YouTube - https://ve42.co/Mould2016
Dugdale, J. S. (1996). Entropy and its physical meaning. CRC Press. - https://ve42.co/Dugdale1996
Schroeder, D. V. (1999). An introduction to thermal physics. - https://ve42.co/Schroeder2021
Fowler, M. Heat Engines: the Carnot Cycle, University of Virginia. - https://ve42.co/Fowler2023
Chandler, D.L. (2010). Explained: The Carnot Limit, MIT News - https://ve42.co/Chandler2010
Entropy, Wikipedia - https://ve42.co/EntropyWiki
Clausius, R. (1867). The mechanical theory of heat. Van Voorst. - https://ve42.co/Clausius1867
What is entropy? TED-Ed via YouTube - https://ve42.co/Phillips2017
Thijssen, J. (2018) Lecture Notes Statistical Physics, TU Delft.
Schneider, E. D., & Kay, J. J. (1994). Life as a manifestation of the second law of thermodynamics. Mathematical and computer modelling, 19(6-8), 25-48. - https://ve42.co/Schneider1994
Lineweaver, C. H., & Egan, C. A. (2008). Life, gravity and the second law of thermodynamics. Physics of Life Reviews, 5(4), 225-242. - https://ve42.co/Lineweaver2008
Michaelian, K. (2012). HESS Opinions" Biological catalysis of the hydrological cycle: life's thermodynamic function". Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 16(8), 2629-2645. - https://ve42.co/Michaelian2012
England, J. L. (2013). Statistical physics of self-replication. The Journal of chemical physics, 139(12), 09B623_1. - https://ve42.co/England2013
England, J. L. (2015). Dissipative adaptation in driven self-assembly. Nature nanotechnology, 10(11), 919-923. - https://ve42.co/England2015
Wolchover, N. (2014). A New Physics Theory of Life, Quantamagazine - https://ve42.co/Wolchover2014
Lineweaver, C. H. (2013). The entropy of the universe and the maximum entropy production principle. In Beyond the Second Law: Entropy Production and Non-equilibrium Systems (pp. 415-427). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - https://ve42.co/LineweaverEntropy
Bekenstein, J.D. (1972). Black holes and the second law. Lett. Nuovo Cimento 4, 737–740. - https://ve42.co/Bekenstein1972
Carroll, S.M. (2022). The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion. Penguin Publishing Group. - https://ve42.co/Carroll2022
Black hole thermodynamics, Wikipedia - https://ve42.co/BlackHoleTD
Cosmology and the arrow of time: Sean Carroll at TEDxCaltech, TEDx Talks via YouTube - https://ve42.co/CarrollTEDx
Carroll, S. M. (2008). The cosmic origins of time's arrow. Scientific American, 298(6), 48-57. - https://ve42.co/Carroll2008
The Passage of Time and the Meaning of Life | Sean Carroll (Talk + Q&A), Long Now Foundation via YouTube - https://ve42.co/CarrollLNF
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Written by Casper Mebius & Derek Muller
Edited by Trenton Oliver & Jamie MacLeod
Animated by Mike Radjabov, Ivy Tello, Fabio Albertelli and Jakub Misiek
Filmed by Derek Muller, Albert Leung & Raquel Nuno
Molecular collisions video by CSIRO's Data61 via YouTube: Simulation of water freezing into ice
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Pond5 and by courtesy of NASA, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Goddard Flight Lab/ CI Lab, NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, HMI, and WMAP science teams. As well as the Advanced Visualization Laboratory at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, B. Robertson, L. Hernquist
Music from Epidemic Sound & Jonny Hyman
Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev, Emily Zhang, & Casper Mebius
i once had a eurika moment in the bathtub but instead of discovering buoyancy, I discovered entropy.
the idea that came to me was that I imagined the water as the universe,
and when
I went in it, I was the big bang putting into motion energy, and displacing water.
and I imagined that since the universe would be in my bathtub I would be extremely large and therefore appear to move slower relative to the throteical planets in the "universe"
so I imagined that as the water splased to oneside of the tub a billion years have passed, and a entire ecosystem could of developed on a earth in that time period, only to eventually get destroyed as the wave came back the other direction. destroying what possible lifeforms living on the planet, I imagine that as it also rebounds back, another lifeform could flourish and parish before the something would to happen. but it can only happen when the water is splashing around the tub, because that's how the essential compounds would come into contact to create complexity.
all until the water in the tub becomes stagnint, until it reached equilibrium, which would quite literally represent the heat death of the universe.
and then that's when It dawned upon me that entropy isn't just order decaying into disorder, its chaos decaying into uniform, because despite the water having most life and energy in motion, it was disorderly and only when the water was perfectly still was there order.
of course this is based on the measure the the universe is confined to a finite space such as a bathtub, however I imagine, that instead of the wave bouning back and forth until it eventually stops,
that its more like a ripple in an infinite pool of water, eventually The crest the trough of the ripples dissipates into basically still motion.
so in a way the same idea.
i know it sounds stupid, I thought of it when I was like 13 so, I thought I really thought of something there...
@pattharakornsatharalai765 Says:
ขอขอบคุณ
@heart_mind_wallet Says:
This is why you stop overthinking during a shower
@syzygy_xv Says:
here after watching the movie 'tenet', hoping this would explain it.
oh boy was i wrong
@significantscience Says:
Outstanding research and I think it's one of the best explanation on Entropy.
@Kohlerkj1 Says:
Awesome, that filled in some gaps for me for sure.
@lostinthought5621 Says:
People often joke that humans (and other life forms) are mere sacks of water. But we’re so much more than that…
We’re heat engines!
@InspiredStrangers Says:
Nice introduction to the topic.
There's an interesting question that was mentioned but not answered: WHY did the universe start in a state of low entropy, because a universe starting with low entropy is very much less likely than a universe with high entropy?
@jonasdiniz4414 Says:
Esta dublagem em português ficou ruim, parece uma narração fria (o que é).
@elba_magellan Says:
Probably one of the most beautiful videos I've ever watched
@gabrielamachowski3333 Says:
This was a great video to watch
@kuldeeplonkar Says:
wow! such a brilliant video!
@newfreenayshaun6651 Says:
Has anybody ever been hit by a projectile Rubik's Cube from a pissed off sibling? Ever kicked one in the dark? No loss of energy detected. Just pain.
@juliamaier6339 Says:
woah the example displaying the energy flow configuration in hot/cold was soo well made! funny how we just learn simplified facts like „E always moves from hot entities to cold ones“, i think i never second guessed it. very mindblowing that its probability! Thanks — greetings from austria :)
@zehrazahoor7855 Says:
But if the mass and energy remain the same at the beginning of universe and at the end of universe. Does it not mean that at the heat death we will once again have the lowest entropy and gravity will once again clump everything together??? So are we really moving forward
@theprettyredcat1049 Says:
Napolean and steam engines existed around the same time?!!!
@Cookies-zt3bi Says:
further proof we are in a simulation
@teeborg1519 Says:
i LOVE this channel
@rfolks92 Says:
Using the two bars having a heat exchange as an example, given infinite time and finite energy, wouldn't this imply there is a small, but measurable, probability the high entropy universe returns to its low entropy state?
@jamesjaudon8247 Says:
If the amount of energy in a closed system constantly decreases, then the system is not truly closed. This is the answer philosophy gives.
@trieu2336 Says:
This might be the scariest theory of the universe.
@missingkcw9581 Says:
WOW
@MK.Rochie Says:
soooooo.........entropy = probability
@jeffd5060 Says:
This is so well done. Thanks.
@ElLorenzoMagnifico Says:
Chose to write a paper on he History of Entropy in my undergrad. Wish Veritasium had spent a little more time on Clausius' definition of Entropy, which really had nothing to do with 'Spread' and more to do with a process of transference. I see why they glossed over that though, for expediency's sake.
@muhammdm22 Says:
Energy coming to earth radiating back to the space!! Not so sure about that..
I think its related to the rate of obesity that is increasing and the 9 bollion and increasing humans. Without the sun the earth would have kept cooling and radiating its energy but the sun keeping the proccess going and I think we are gaining a bit of energy. Sun radiating energy into earth the. Plants capture some of it and growing, you can plant a plant in a container and calculate the net gain....animals then eat the plants and their numbers inrease the also humans eat animals and their numbers inrease. Energy from the sun also heats water into vapor taking energy into atmosphere and fall back as rain but energy would also be released. You can do a distillation process using heat and the calculate the net energy then follow where this energy go if it is a gain.....I think if all the energy from sun gets radiated back to the space the earth would be like the moon!
@austinworkman9967 Says:
love
@diamondsegment1550 Says:
Ok but then what? What happens after the heat death of the universe? That’s it? Is anyone asking this?
@InsomniacDoggo Says:
I will now use this video to explain Destiny lore to my friends
@fourclout4 Says:
So all i got from this is if one day we got infinitely unlucky the globe would heat by 100 degrees centigrade and kill everything on it through a series of rapid successful 0.000000001% chances causing it to heat almost instantaneously before it could cool
@GhostStealth590 Says:
I'm an art major, but was geeking out about how much the sun benefits and curbs earth as a celestial body and us as humans. I'll continue the video, just surprised so many people in the intro were so surface level.
@christophergallagher3845 Says:
I live beside the river kelvin Lord Kelvin took his name from in Glasgow . I always enjoy when he gets a mention
@patchin1 Says:
Ah, refresh the Carnot cycle learned 45 years ago...
@georgesmith3022 Says:
If all the energy we get from the sun is radiated back, then the side of earth not visible from the sun would have absolute Zero ! Isn't this the case of all planets without atmosphere? Atmoshere keeps part of the energy. Correct me if i am wrong
@MegaVishap Says:
Who "poured milk in the tea"? In other words, how did the big bang happen? I believe you can have "beautiful" (it's subjective) pictures through various thermodynamic processes but you cannot have a program. Or, the thermodynamic law is a program itself. Any law can be a program. Why do laws exist? Somebody needs to specify how specifically the intelligence can be generated out of chaos. Comparing it with the milk pattern does not totally explain it, the milk pattern never starts to control itself. What is the meaning of the milk pattern?
@joeschejbal2646 Says:
one of the best videos i will ever see thank U
@filosofiadocomportamentophilos Says:
How did you make the animations?
@zeroonetime Says:
The LIFE Force, forcing your life's thought.
!!!!! Figure This out.
Time IS God, Timing I.S. the manifestation in Godliness
God I.S. an ephemeral 010. in T.E.N. dimensions
@ironmonkey1512 Says:
Money wants to leave my pocket, vs enter it.
@ponyonoodles6568 Says:
Bro made a strong ass video but some weak ass tea
@isam789 Says:
Just so I’m understanding right. High entropy= energy spreading out towards a more likely state, which could be equated to an equilibrium?
@thequestforwisdom Says:
Loved this. Didnt understand it all but has given me a lot of food for thought
@kyounginkim-nq5sj Says:
Energy conservation principle is forever......
@trevbuffi Says:
If time flows both forward and backward could someone technically survive forever at the end of time?
@firsargentum5920 Says:
Great, but why did you wait until 08:34 to mention that heat losses occur through friction etc? In practice, I've found this is an easy way to explain to non-science folks that you can never get back out as much energy as you put in. Actually, having watched more of this video, it strikes me as trying to over-simplify the concept of entropy to appeal to a "popular science" kind of narrative. For example, the formation and growth of an organism is intrinsically ANTI-entropic since it is forming a more organized system from a less ordered system of molecules, energy etc. The cost is that energy is condensed or fixed into the organism, until it dies and decomposes etc. Yes, ultimately entropy seems to be increasing in the universe, which will eventually lead to "thermal death" of the universe where all the available ("free") energy is dissipated to the point where everything is at a temp. of 1 x 10^-42 K or whatever, but in the process, there are islands of non-entropy - the formation of stellar/planetary/solar entities is another example of an ANTI-entropic process. IMO this is the real conundrum - why do these organized systems form when the natural tendency is towards disorder? Maybe the are a necessary part of the process/step on the way in that, by their existence, they facilitate entropy on the grander scale? IMO, understanding entropy is ultimately the key to understanding how/why life exists.
@Adoyleonon Says:
If energy and mass are convertible with e=mc^2, then what’s the difference between entropy and density?
@jp8378 Says:
the difference is energy with or without information.
talking about genes, its information provides the right flow of energies.
soooo
Creation didn't create itself and entropy is probably the reason for death not for life.
so it is the opposite of what the world thinks. Jist like Jesus explains in the bible.
Satan swaps and something containing truth becomes confused.
Please don't censor my comment youtube.
My opinion does not harm anybody. It could be true but check for yourselves, please!
@salmanasgher2346 Says:
Who provided this need for Earth and Earth's it's all creatures. Who set the Sun in perfect position for us. 🤔
@rrshier Says:
Gravity might just be the "storage tank" for low entropy energy packets!
@planetmongocommoditiesexch9079 Says:
The reason that those old steam engines (and almost all steam locomotives ever built) were so inefficient was that they were non-condensing, which you did not mention at all.
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