What is entropy? - Jeff Phillips
4,528,263 Views
9,898 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
There’s a concept that’s crucial to chemistry and physics. It helps explain why physical processes go one way and not the other: why ice melts, why cream spreads in coffee, why air leaks out of a punctured tire. It’s entropy, and it’s notoriously difficult to wrap our heads around. Jeff Phillips gives a crash course on entropy.
Besides the examples provided (hot object in contact with a cold one, air leaking out of a tire, cream mixing into coffee), what are other examples that illustrate the nature of entropy as time’s arrow? Hint: Think about what a process would look like or behave if time were reversed… “run the movie backwards.” These reversed processes should look “odd” or unphysical.
Sign in to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Jeff Phillips
- Director Iuri Araujo, Guilherme Araujo
- Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
- Animator Iuri Araujo, Guilherme Araujo
- Compositor Andre Luiz Machado
- Composer Andre Luiz Machado
- Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
