From: ghio@temp0203.myriad.ml.org (Matthew Ghio)
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 05:48:18 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Interesting Chemical Reaction
In-Reply-To: <199801282322.RAA09923@einstein.ssz.com>
Message-ID: <199801302134.QAA24635@myriad>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Jim Choate wrote:

> Because the thermodynamics assume a *closed* model. The base assumption of
> your model is that it is closed. This means that not only the mirror, and
> the two focii are in the system, but also the light source. When taken as a
> whole the entropy is constant. Now if you allow the light to pass through
> the mirror from outside an initial axiomatic assumption, a closed system,
> is broken.

Assume that the mirrors completely surround the objects, and that the only
light source is IR thermal radiation, and that the mirrors are insulated
from the outsite world, so we can assume a closed system.

By the laws of optics, one focus should get warmer than the other, but by
the law of entropy they must remain at the same temperature.  That's the
paradox.