ENTROPY


Meaning of ENTROPY in English

— entropic /en troh"pik, -trop"ik/ , adj. — entropically , adv.

/en"treuh pee/ , n.

1. Thermodynam.

a. (on a macroscopic scale) a function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, that is a measure of the energy that is not available for work during a thermodynamic process. A closed system evolves toward a state of maximum entropy.

b. (in statistical mechanics) a measure of the randomness of the microscopic constituents of a thermodynamic system. Symbol: S

2. (in data transmission and information theory) a measure of the loss of information in a transmitted signal or message.

3. (in cosmology) a hypothetical tendency for the universe to attain a state of maximum homogeneity in which all matter is at a uniform temperature (heat death) .

4. a doctrine of inevitable social decline and degeneration.

[ Entropie (1865); see EN- 2 , -TROPY ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .