Entropy: the disorder of the universe

A tree falls in a tropical rainforest, scattering debris in all directions as the sound of parrots squawking in surprise can be heard. Entropy—sounds complicated, doesn’t it? However, you’ve just witnessed it. In fact, you witness it every day. Entropy is simply a measure of randomness.

When your parents tell you to clean up your room because it is too messy, one could say that it is in a state of high entropy because it is disordered. Your room has a lot of matter in it—for example, your prized possessions. It also has a lot of energy. The scientific laws of thermodynamics, which describe the interactions between matter and energy, has a law which state that entropy in an isolated system can only increase and never decrease. An isolated system is defined as a system in which no matter or energy flows in or out. If Earth is an isolated system, then its entropy should tend to increase. A fallen tree certainly looks more disordered than an upright tree. By making the tree fall, the entropy—or disorder—of the planet has increased.

On the other hand, entropy is also how humans distinguish between natural and man-made structures. If you saw a pile of logs neatly stacked up on the ground, you would probably think that a human—more specifically, a lumberjack—had done it. But why? Because nature tends to push things to become more disordered. A neat pile of logs is not disordered, but randomly strewn-out logs are. Our brains are able to make a distinction between what is and what isn’t natural based on how random it appears.

Entropy is also connected to time. Our world revolves around time, but this comes at a cost. Remember, nature loves disorder. By accurately measuring time, we are going against nature’s wishes. The more precise our clocks are, the more entropy they emit, and consequently, the more disorder is released into the world. Physicists previously observed a correlation between the precision of a quantum clock and the entropy it emits. However, they wanted to test if this relationship held true for other clocks.

Researchers created a thin clock from a sheet of membrane and suspended it between two fixed points. Electrical signals were then used to make the membrane bend up and down, simulating the ticking of common clocks. As the intensity of the electrical signal was increased, the clock flexed up and down more precisely, and the more entropy was emitted. Thus, the researchers were able to conclude that this relationship held true for other clocks.

From wood burning to the chemical reactions that take place inside our bodies, entropy describes the processes of our everyday lives. By studying it, we can begin to understand our world better.

So, the next time your room is messy, just say that you are following nature’s rules and increasing its entropy.