Maxwell Zombies: Conjuring the Thermodynamic Undead
By Daniel Peter Sheehan
Modern descendants of Maxwell’s celebrated demon defy standard thinking about heat engines and may offer a path to a new kind of energy generation.
This Article From Issue
July-August 2018
Volume 106, Number 4
Page 234
The second law of thermodynamics is one of the most venerable and consequential of physical principles. Originally inspired by steam engines and the boring of cannon barrels during the 19th century, its sway has grown to encompass almost every process involving the movement of energy, from fundamental chemistry to biological aging to the birth and death of the universe.
“Perpetual Motion Unrealized” is by artist Katharine Cartwright.
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