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From: mwg@allegra.UUCP (Mark Garrett)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Thermodynamics and probability
Message-ID: <2392@allegra.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Apr-84 09:57:31 EST
Article-I.D.: allegra.2392
Posted: Tue Apr 10 09:57:31 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 05:39:03 EST
References: <936@ihuxm.UUCP>, <2833@brl-vgr.ARPA>, <9@entropy.UUCP>, <294@charm.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 26


	No; all the air molecles in a room could not, by themselves, move
to one side.  Statistical mechanics inherently is not accurate enough (nor
has it been verified experimentally accurately enough) to predict correctly
such improbable events as all air molecules *by themselves* drifting to one 
side of the room.  Although the examples--(1) a growing crystal, or (2) a
gravitational dust cloud condensing into planets, of (3) chemical processes
that formed life--represent increases in entropy and at the same time
increases in order, nevertheless these examples all occur at the expense of
even more disorder (simultaneouus irreversible processes) in the universe:
(1) heat flow from hot to cold bodies, (2) emmitted noise and other
radiation, as well as conversion of (ordered) potential gravitational energy
into (disordered) heat, and (3) consumption of nuclear fuel on the sun.
	Besides, statistical mechanics rests upon the assmpution of the truth
of the ergodic (or quasi-ergodic) hypothesis--i.e., the hypothesis that the
universe comes back to its initial state (or as closely so as can be
specified) or to any other given state (or closely so) if only you wait
long enough.  This hypothesis is obviously false.  After you die, the
universe will never, repeat *never*, comeback to its present state (or closely
so)--i.e., with all calendars on the earth displaying a year "1984" (or
"1914") and with you alive (except that you are insane).

			-D.I. Caplan
			 Bell Labs, Murray Hill

{this opinion represents neither that of this coropration or even the
owner of this account}