It's been 25 years since I've had formal schooling, which did include thermodynamics.
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics basically states
Here's what got me thinking on this... Imagine a solar system's worth of gas and dust (including the higher elements beyond iron) is moved to an isolated region of space, between galaxies. It can be considered closed; the amount of radiation bombarding it is negligible relative to what will happen.
Soon, the H and He coalesce, and we have fusion; a star is born. The remaining gas and dust form planets. In a few billion years, we have a civilization of grey aliens who come and visit us. We have gone from uniform gas and dust, into a higher form.
Note the bolded "non-gravitational" in the quoted definition. This to me is a giant cop-out. All matter has gravity. One may as well state that the 2nd law of thermodynamics applies ONLY to radiation in all its forms.
What gives?
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics basically states
It is an expression of the fact that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential decrease in an isolated non-gravitational physical system, leading eventually to a state of thermodynamic equilibrium.
Soon, the H and He coalesce, and we have fusion; a star is born. The remaining gas and dust form planets. In a few billion years, we have a civilization of grey aliens who come and visit us. We have gone from uniform gas and dust, into a higher form.
Note the bolded "non-gravitational" in the quoted definition. This to me is a giant cop-out. All matter has gravity. One may as well state that the 2nd law of thermodynamics applies ONLY to radiation in all its forms.
What gives?
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