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HelloNurse06/16/20251 replyview on HN

But "disordered" and "ordered" states are just what we define them to be: for example, cords are "tangled" only because we would prefer arrangements of cords with less knots, and knots form because someone didn't handle the cords carefully.

Physical processes are "real", but entropy is a figment.


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dekken_06/16/2025

I believe you are correct.

Entropy is not a physical quantity, it is a measure of how far a system is from equilibrium.

Lots of people talk about order/disorder or macro and micro states, not realizing these are things we've invented and aren't physical in nature.

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