Maxwell's demon is a machine proposed by James Clerk Maxwell in 1867. The hypothetical machine would use thermal fluctuations to obtain energy, apparently violating the second principle of thermodynamics. Now, researchers ...
General Physics
Apr 18, 2019
2
737
When two substances are brought together, they will eventually settle into a steady state called thermodynamic equilibrium; examples include oil floating on top of water and milk mixing uniformly into coffee. Researchers ...
Soft Matter
Sep 15, 2021
0
996
A research team from Empa and EPFL has developed a molecular motor which consists of only 16 atoms and rotates reliably in one direction. It could allow energy harvesting at the atomic level. The special feature of the motor ...
General Physics
Jun 16, 2020
1
1789
If you've seen water drops dance and jitter on a hot pan or griddle, you've seen the Leidenfrost effect in action. Or you may have seen the "Mythbusters" episode where Adam and Jamie thrust their wet fingers and hands into ...
All living things must obey the laws of physics—including the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the universe's disorder, or entropy, can only grow. Highly ordered cells and organisms appear to contradict this ...
General Physics
Aug 27, 2013
8
2
New evidence this week supports a theory developed five years ago at Rice University to explain the electrical properties of several classes of materials -- including unconventional superconductors -- that have long vexed ...
Superconductivity
Jan 11, 2012
2
0
Accurately reconstructing how the parts of a complex molecular are held together knowing only how the molecule distorts and breaks up—this was the challenge taken on by a research team led by SISSA's Cristian Micheletti ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 17, 2023
0
351
An article in the latest edition of the journal Science describes an innovative form of heat engine that operates using only one single atom. The engine is the result of experiments undertaken by the QUANTUM work group at ...
Quantum Physics
Apr 15, 2016
2
110
The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system always tends to increase over time until it reaches a maximum. In other words, disorganization increases without outside intervention. Electrical ...
General Physics
Nov 27, 2019
2
1131
(Phys.org) —ETH researchers are able to make objects such as particles and liquid droplets fly in mid-air by letting them ride on acoustic waves. For the first time, they have been able to also control the movement of objects, ...
General Physics
Jul 16, 2013
3
0
