why does the distribution of peas in a pan of swirling water restore itself even as I spooned them out in batches (I.e. where I spooned peas out the area in water did not stay empty).
In: 4
This is an interesting observation. It’s a demonstration of how processes that are individually quite random (such as the random motions of a pea swirling and tumbling around in turbulent water) on the whole result in the Second Law of Thermodynamics which is a quite predictable result.
That is, a system that contains a large number of individually random events and processes, will tend towards a state of greater randomness and more uniform distribution of matter and energy, rather than one of greater order or seperation.
More specifically. If you have a single pea swirling around in a pot, then the odds that it would travel into an area where you’d previously ladled, is pretty low although given enough stirring and time it might.
However if you have ten peas, then odds are pretty good that at least one will travel into such an area quickly. If you have 1000 peas, then the odds are almost certain that a few will immediately migrate into the space where you’d just scooped some of them out. In fact the odds that none of the peas will travel into that space are trivially, ridiculously low. Moreover such random motions will, with 1000 peas, quickly act to make the distribution relatively uniformly.
Latest Answers