Physics – Classical Physics
Scientific paper
2011-01-26
Physics
Classical Physics
24 pages, 8 figures, minor revisions
Scientific paper
Even though the second law of thermodynamics holds the supreme position among the laws of Nature, as stated by many distinguished scientists, notably Eddington and Einstein, its position appears to be also quite peculiar. Given the atomic nature of matter, whose behaviour is well described by statistical physics, the second law could not hold unconditionally, but only statistically. It is not an absolute law. As a result of this, in the present paper we try to argue that we have not yet any truly cogent argument (known fundamental physical laws) to exclude its possible macroscopic violation. We also see in the above peculiar condition the main motivation and rationale for pursuing exploratory research to challenge the second law, which is still ongoing and probably richer than ever. A quite thorough description of some of these challenges is also given. Keywords: Second Law of Thermodynamics; Maxwell's Demon; contingency; necessity; violation; n-p junction; thermionic emission; capacitor.
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