The Most Misunderstood Concept in Physics
The Most Misunderstood Concept in Physics
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I like most of Veritasium's videos because they usually explain correctly – and in a simple way – some points that are incorrect in common or standard explanations, owing to over-simplification (the video about electric current is a good example).
But this particular video on entropy unfortunately suffers from that very problem. Many statements are slightly or completely incorrect, others are so hand-waving ("energy spreads"?) as to become pointless. I hope the next one will be better.
It reminds me of a limerick by the thermodynamicist M. W. Zemansky:
Teaching thermal physics
Is as easy as a song:
You think you make it simpler
When you make it slightly wrong!
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Strongly recommend James Gleick's book The Information. Lots of bits about entropy. Pretty much the first book where I really started to grasp it.
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Awh man I need to get myself a new copy of that book! I accidentally left mine on a ferry a few years ago and haven't finished reading it.
Chaos (same author) is also a fantastic read, really got me interested in the field. I ended up taking a dynamical systems class after reading that book, and though we didn't talk much about chaotic systems in particular I could definitely see the similarities!
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I read that one way back when it came out, and it inspired many all night computer sesseon my IBM XT clone hoping my little script would produce a fractal on the screen by morning. He makes the concepts so accessible and inviting. Great writer.
The Information is available as an audiobook too - nice for a long car ride.
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