Entropy

Please see animated image below www.flickr.com/photos/flights_of_fancy/12136845345/sizes/o.

 

Entropy is the measure of disorder within an isolated system and is based on the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics which states that the distribution of energy will become uniform over time.

 

I have illustrated this as a bar graph with fluctuating energy levels. Where there is a wide variation in height of the bars you can say that the energy is organised and is able to do work. When the bars are at the same level they are disorganised and the Entropy is at its maximum. While the amount of energy remains the same there is no longer the ability to do work, as the energy is no longer concentrated in one place.

 

The waves also represent Entropy if you think of a choppy sea as being able to rock a boat (do work) which becomes steady as the sea calms.

 

Juan Tello has kindly given permission to use his water ripple photo www.flickr.com/photos/junctions/2937689351 which I have animated in ‘Sqirlz Water Reflections’. The bar chart was created in MS Excel and the final piece was animated in UnFREEz.

 

I have provided a translation of some of the tags I use on Flickr which you may find interesting www.flickr.com/photos/flights_of_fancy/6973610225/

 

Done