The Fight Against the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Abstract

After presenting possible motives for fighting against the second law of thermodynamics, several attempts to beat this law are analyzed. The second law wins, but an interesting interpretation of it emerges. This interpretation uses the notion of ``encoded order'' and claims that whether a system is or is not in thermodynamic equilibrium depends on the coordinates which the observer decides to measure. This interpretation may not be new, but most present day physicists seem to be unaware of it. The question of subjectivity of entropy and the connection between the present interpretation and ``algorithmic randomness'' are addressed. Key words: Maxwell's demon, perpetuum mobile, subjectivity, entropy, H-theorem, randomness, complexity, information.