Like, I think in terms of a musical instrument; if it’s played and played and played and played, over time it’ll get out of tune. And I would think the various physical “constants” of the universe would work in roughly the same way – over time, there’d be variations due to entropy. But, for example, the speed of light in a vacuum is constant, and continues to be constant. If entropy is an unavoidable aspect of our universe, shouldn’t it affect the speed of light in a vacuum too? Wouldn’t we expect to see some sort of slowdown or at least variation over time as a result of entropy?
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Physical constants, like the speed of light in a vacuum, remain constant because they are not affected by local interactions or entropy in the same way ordinary matter is. These constants are more like the underlying structure of the instrument itself – they don’t change just because the instrument is being played.
The speed of light in a vacuum is a fundamental constant because it is a property of space and time in our universe. It’s not determined by local interactions of matter and energy; rather, it is a feature of the fabric of spacetime itself.
So, while entropy affects local systems and can lead to disorder, it doesn’t directly impact these fundamental constants because they are not dependent on the specific conditions of any one place or time in the universe. They remain constant, providing a stable framework within which the processes of entropy and change can occur.
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