Wayne Myrvold: Entropy Isn't Real; It's What You Don't Know

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

Curt Jaimungal

Physics, Philosophy, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 121 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Wayne Myrvold reinterprets thermodynamics as a resource theory, arguing that the slogan “entropy always increases” follows from the second law rather than defining it. The conversation contrasts Gibbs and Boltzmann entropy, examines Maxwell’s demon, Landauer erasure, statistical bounds on Carnot efficiency, and explores implications for cosmology, ergodicity, and collapse theories, ending with pedagogical reflections and career advice.- 00:00 - Is entropy in the system or in our minds?- 07:12 - Original thermodynamics as a resource theory of heat and power- 18:24 - The second law does not assume entropy; entropy requires the second law- 30:58 - From caloric to molecular motion: historical view- 39:04 - Maxwell's insight: why the second law is not absolute- 48:11 - Information as a resource: knowledge and entropy- 1:00:53 - Boltzmann vs Gibbs: objective vs subjective entropy- 1:10:24 - Maxwell's demon and Landauer's principle- 1:25:02 - The inevitable "heat death" of the universe?- 1:30:19 - Why "disorder" misleads- 1:35:21 - Ergodic hypothesis: relevance and limits- 1:43:52 - Is statistical mechanics on shaky ground (like QFT)?- 1:50:50 - Career advice: do not join bandwagonsRESOURCES:- Join My New Substack (Personal Writings): https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Ted Jacobson [TOE]: https://youtu.be/3mhctWlXyV8- Concerning Several Conveniently Applicable Forms For The Main Equations Of The Mechanical Heat Theory [Paper]: https://web.lemoyne.edu/giunta/Clausius1865.pdf- John Norton [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Tghl6aS5A3M- On An Absolute Thermometric Scale [Paper]: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/2559_Therm_Stat_Mech/docs/Thomson_1848.pdf- Carnot Efficiency: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Carnot_efficiency- Maxwell's Talk On Molecules: https://victorianweb.org/science/maxwell/molecules.html- Helmholtz Free Energy: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/helmholtz-free-energy- Boltzmann Entropy: https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Western_Washington_University/Biophysical_Chemistry_(Smirnov_and_McCarty)/01%3A_Biochemical_Thermodynamics/1.05%3A_The_Boltzmann_Distribution_and_the_Statistical_Definition_of_Entropy- Maxwell's Letter: https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PH-CAVENDISH-P-00092/1- Landauer's Principle: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S135521980300039X- On A Universal Tendency In Nature To The Dissipation Of Mechanical Energy: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14786445208647126- Neil Turok [TOE]: https://youtu.be/zNZCa1pVE20- Roger Penrose [TOE]: https://youtu.be/sGm505TFMbU- Sean Carroll [TOE]: https://youtu.be/9AoRxtYZrZo- Understanding The Infinite [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Infinite-Shaughan-Lavine/dp/0674921178- Classical Electrodynamics [Book]: https://www.amazon.com/Classical_Electrodynamics-John-David-Jackson/dp/1119770769- Why Information Is Entropy [YouTube]: https://youtu.be/8Uilw9t-syQ Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. SPONSOR: I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Olivia Culpo here to tell you all about the launch of the new Abercrombie spring denim collection,
0:05.5	made the way denim should feel. Their denim has always been a staple in my wardrobe and has a wide range of fits,
0:11.4	styles, and washes. Every jean is available in both their classic fit and viral curve love.
0:17.5	Shop in the app, online, and in stores.
0:30.8	Even though a lot of physicists will say,
0:34.8	Second Law says the total entropy is never decreasing, that can't be actually be the second law.
0:36.9	That can't be a consequence of
0:38.1	the second law. This is a two-hour deep dive into entropy and the second law. Most talks on
0:46.3	this subject are 10 minutes long, but today, Professor Wayne Mirvald gives a tour to force,
0:52.0	explaining entropy from multiple angles, dispelling myths, and even
0:55.8	the stunning realization that the second law is opposite to what you think.
1:01.5	You will get both answers from perfectly competent physicists and on each side.
1:06.2	We'll be absolutely certain that that is the right answer.
1:09.0	Questions explored are why is entropy not the same as disorder?
1:13.7	What do popular accounts, and even undergraduate texts on entropy and thermodynamics,
1:18.7	consistently get incorrect?
1:20.8	Is the universe subject to the second law?
1:23.5	Can you break these supposed entropic limits and why quantum mechanics changes everything?
1:31.0	There's plenty of confusion and puzzles about entropy.
1:35.4	Today I would like to talk about exactly what is entropy.
1:38.5	And one of the questions that give conflicting answers is,
1:41.1	imagine in front of you you have some physical system.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Curt Jaimungal, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Curt Jaimungal and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.