Entropy: The Silent Architect of Change in the Universe
Entropy is one of the most essential ideas in physics , yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. It encompasses everything from the way heat moves to the reason why time flows only forward. Though it’s rooted in thermodynamics, entropy has found its way into chemistry, information theory, and cosmology. At its heart, entropy measures how spread out or disordered energy is in a system. While the concept may seem abstract, it is constantly at work in the world around us, guiding the behavior of matter, energy, and even life. How Entropy Entered Physics The concept of entropy emerged during the Industrial Revolution, a period when scientists sought to understand how engines converted heat into practical work. Rudolf Clausius, a German physicist, introduced the term “entropy” in the mid-19th century. He observed that when energy is transferred or transformed, part of it becomes less capable of doing work. This led him to conclude that energy tends to spread out unless something preven...