Re: [Fis] definition(s) of order/disorder ?

From: Stanley N. Salthe <[email protected]>
Date: Wed 28 Apr 2004 - 22:54:52 CEST

Replying to Michel: I am one who synonymizes entropy with disorder,
following the interpretation of Boltzmann. This is often stated as a
situation where the most probable configurations characterize a system,
inasmuch as there are no energy gradients sufficient to bolster a
fluctuation to an improbable configuration. Disorder is the absence of
energy gradients supplying energy available for work. Insofar as work
might be done at many scales, this concept needs, I think, to be scaled.
Boltzmann, of course, meant the smallest scale of material particles. If
there is not enough gradient to supply work there, then there will not be
enough for higher scales either.

STAN

>To: <fis@listas.unizar.es>
>Subject: [Fis] definition(s) of order/disorder ?
>
>Dear FISers,
>
>More than 70 messages were emitted since the beginning of the
>session, discussing about entropy and information, and sometimes
>about symmetry.
>Nevertheless, the relations of these concepts with order and disorder
>has been little evoked.
>There are definitions for information, entropy, and symmetry.
>I am convinced that order (or disorder) merits its own definition,
>and that, once this definition is exhibited, we could work to
>establish relations with other concepts. Existence of order and
>disorder only through intuitive assertions is not satisfactory.
>Does somebody could exhibit physical or mathematical definitions
>of order or disorder, apart from "entropy is disorder" ?
>
>Michel Petitjean Email: petitjean@itodys.jussieu.fr
>Editor-in-Chief of Entropy entropy@mdpi.org
>ITODYS (CNRS, UMR 7086) ptitjean@ccr.jussieu.fr
>1 rue Guy de la Brosse Phone: +33 (0)1 44 27 48 57
>75005 Paris, France. FAX : +33 (0)1 44 27 68 14
>http://www.mdpi.net http://www.mdpi.org
>http://petitjeanmichel.free.fr/itoweb.petitjean.html
>http://petitjeanmichel.free.fr/itoweb.petitjean.freeware.html
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Received on Wed Apr 28 21:36:06 2004

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