What is entropy? Also, can anyone explain how it relates to matter, gravity, time, other physics terms?
In: Physics
As an analogy, if you put an ice cube in a cup, it melts into water and then nothing else happens after that. Nothing can happen because it’s the same temperature everywhere. It’s entropy has increased to the maximum. There is no gradient for energy to transfer.
The universe is the same way except on a much larger scale. Energy is always spreading. It has to spread in order for anything to happen. As energy spreads out in a system we say its entropy increases.
Way into the future there will be no energy left to make new stars, black holes will evaporate, atoms and protons and neutrons will decay and time will not exist. It will be the same temperature everywhere and nothing will be able to happen. Maximum entropy, the heat death of the universe.
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