TY - JOUR
T1 - Bluff Your Way in the Second Law of Thermodynamics
AU - Uffink, Jos
PY - 2001/9
Y1 - 2001/9
N2 - The aim of this article is to analyse the relation between the second law of thermodynamics and the so-called arrow of time. For this purpose, a number of different aspects in this arrow of time are distinguished, in particular those of time-reversal (non-)invariance and of (ir)reversibility. Next I review versions of the second law in the work of Carnot, Clausius, Kelvin, Planck, Gibbs, Carathéodory and Lieb and Yngvason, and investigate their connection with these aspects of the arrow of time. It is shown that this connection varies a great deal along with these formulations of the second law. According to the famous formulation by Planck, the second law expresses the irreversibility of natural processes. But in many other formulations irreversibility or even time-reversal non-invariance plays no role. I therefore argue for the view that the second law has nothing to do with the arrow of time.
AB - The aim of this article is to analyse the relation between the second law of thermodynamics and the so-called arrow of time. For this purpose, a number of different aspects in this arrow of time are distinguished, in particular those of time-reversal (non-)invariance and of (ir)reversibility. Next I review versions of the second law in the work of Carnot, Clausius, Kelvin, Planck, Gibbs, Carathéodory and Lieb and Yngvason, and investigate their connection with these aspects of the arrow of time. It is shown that this connection varies a great deal along with these formulations of the second law. According to the famous formulation by Planck, the second law expresses the irreversibility of natural processes. But in many other formulations irreversibility or even time-reversal non-invariance plays no role. I therefore argue for the view that the second law has nothing to do with the arrow of time.
KW - Arrow of Time
KW - Irreversibility
KW - Second Law
KW - Thermodynamics
KW - Time-Reversal Non-Invariance
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U2 - 10.1016/S1355-2198(01)00016-8
DO - 10.1016/S1355-2198(01)00016-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0042528280
SN - 1355-2198
VL - 32
SP - 305
EP - 394
JO - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
JF - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
IS - 3
ER -