ELI5-What is entropy?
In: 1763
Take a deck of cards shuffle it. It’s in a disordered state. Organize it in whatever state you want it to be. There are far more arrangements if Decks of cards that are disorganized than there are arrangements for organized cards.
In deck of cards, the cards are uniquely identifiable. When it comes down to molecules and atoms, theres less uniqueness but significantly more particles. Entropy generally says the morely common organization is more likely to occur, and that is the more disorganised arrangement. So a shuffled but neatly stacked deck of cards is less entropic than scattering cards to the wind. However to make the cards in the first place, you have to cut down trees, collect the sawdust in a slurry to make paper, apply a plastics and paint or ink and then have systems to paint the cards and organize them and check them for defects. All of thise steps produce waste byproducts, heat, noise that add to the general chaos of the the universe.
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