You can easily mix two different colors of fluid together, but you cannot so easily reverse the process and separate the mixture. If you were shown a movie of this mixture unmixing into its original components, through a simple pouring action, you would know that the movie was faked in some way -- an inaccurate representation of our physical world. This is because you know that fluid mixing is an example of an irreversible process. In thermal physics, the concept of irreversibility in such phenomena as heat flow leads toward the concept of entropy and the deep physical understanding that is known as the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

"There are four laws (of thermodynamics). The third of them, the Second Law, was recognized first. The first, the Zeroth Law, was formulated last. The First Law was second. The Third Law might not even be a law in the same sense as the others." - P.W. Atkins

Academic Honesty | Academic Learning Compact (ALC) | Attendance | Auditing | Calendar | Canvas
Catalog Description | Class Times | Complexity of syllabus | Copyright | Counseling Services | Disabilities (Accommodations)
Evaluations | Exam Dates | Final Examination | Goals | Grading | Homework | Instructor | Make-ups | Meeting times
Missing Class | Privacy | Professional Behavior | Quizzes | Religious Holidays | Schedule | Textbook