In the philosophy of thermal and statistical physics, Maxwell's demon is a thought experiment created by the physicist James Clerk Maxwell to "show that the Second Law of Thermodynamics has only a statistical certainty". It demonstrates Maxwell's point by hypothetically describing how to violate the Second Law: a container is divided into two parts by an insulated wall, with a door that can be opened and closed by what came to be called "Maxwell's demon". The demon opens the door to allow only the "hot" molecules of gas to flow through to a favoured side of the chamber, causing that side to gradually heat up while the other side cools down, thus decreasing entropy.
Read more about Maxwell's Demon: Origin and History of The Idea, Original Thought Experiment, Criticism and Development, Applications, Experimental Work, Adams and The Demon As Historical Metaphor, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the words maxwell and/or demon:
“They give me goose pimples on top of my goose pimples.”
—Griffin Jay, Maxwell Shane (1905–1983)
“Man tells his aspiration in his God; but in his demon he shows his depth of experience; and casts light into the cavern through which he worked his cause up to the cheerful day.”
—Margaret Fuller (1810–1850)