Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

maxwell's demon

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.52 in modern English

Syllables
maxwell's de-mon
IPA
28
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A hypothetical creature in a thought experiment. Maxwell’s demon, if it existed, would act as a sort of gate guard by sorting between higher-energy molecules and lower-energy molecules within an enclosed space. Because such a sorting process would tend to decrease entropy, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Named after physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) and demon, and probably from Greek daemon, a mythological being intermediate between gods and men.

Inflected Forms

Maxwell's demons (plural)

Phrases

information engine perpetual motion machine of the second kind

Frequently Paired Words

information engine perpetual motion machine of the second kind

Questions

What does maxwell's demon mean?
A hypothetical creature in a thought experiment. Maxwell’s demon, if it existed, would act as a sort of gate guard by sorting between higher-energy molecules and lower-energy molecules within an enclosed space. Because such a sorting process would tend to decrease entropy, it would violate the second law of thermodynamics.
Where does maxwell's demon come from?
Named after physicist James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) and demon, and probably from Greek daemon, a mythological being intermediate between gods and men.

How to pronounce maxwell's demon

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