Maxwell's Demon: Entropy, Information, Computing (Princeton Series in Physics) - Softcover

Leff, Harvey S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 069108727X ISBN 13: 9780691087276

Verlag: Princeton Univ Pr, 1991

Inhaltsangabe

An anthology of 25 papers on thermodynamics written since Maxwell invented the demon in 1867. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

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Reseña del editor

About 120 years ago, James Clerk Maxwell introduced his now legendary hypothetical "demon" as a challenge to the integrity of the second law of thermodynamics. Fascination with the demon persisted throughout the development of statistical and quantum physics, information theory, and computer science--and linkages have been established between Maxwell's demon and each of these disciplines. The demon's seductive quality makes it appealing to physical scientists, engineers, computer scientists, biologists, psychologists, and historians and philosophers of science. Until now its important source material has been scattered throughout diverse journals.

This book brings under one cover twenty-five reprints, including seminal works by Maxwell and William Thomson; historical reviews by Martin Klein, Edward Daub, and Peter Heimann; information theoretic contributions by Leo Szilard, Leon Brillouin, Dennis Gabor, and Jerome Rothstein; and innovations by Rolf Landauer and Charles Bennett illustrating linkages with the limits of computation. An introductory chapter summarizes the demon's life, from Maxwell's illustration of the second law's statistical nature to the most recent "exorcism" of the demon based on a need periodically to erase its memory. An annotated chronological bibliography is included.

Originally published in 1990.

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Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Princeton Univ Pr
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1991
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 069108727X
• ISBN 13: 9780691087276
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 349
• Herausgeber: Leff Harvey S., Rex Andrew F.
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar