Entropy is an idea that is no less important than energy, but it is not widely understood. We are surrounded by free energy: what we value is energy that's not too polluted with entropy. This book explains how the concepts of energy and entropy were separated from one another over half a century.

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

Until the middle of the nineteenth century entropy and energy were confused with one another. The intellectual fog slowly cleared and now these words name subtle and powerful concepts. Most people think they know what energy is, but few could define entropy.

This Very Short Introduction traces the emergence of entropy and energy as distinct concepts, and explains how entropy spread from thermodynamics into statistical mechanics, probability theory and data science. It explains the implications of entropy for heat pumps, solar cells, carbon capture, and liquified natural gas. Quantum mechanics and gravity open new horizons for entropy, and when combined in the quantum theory of black holes, they call into question our current understanding of material reality.


ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
 
Contributor Bio(s)
 
James Binney, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Oxford

James Binney, FRS, is an astrophysicist at Oxford University. He is the co-author of The Physics of Quantum Mechanics (2013) with David Skinner, along with Astrophysics: A Very Short Introduction.