[quote=nature physics][url]http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nphys1821.html[/url]
In 1929, Leó Szilárd invented a feedback protocol in which a hypothetical intelligence—dubbed Maxwell’s demon—pumps heat from an isothermal environment and transforms it into work. After a long-lasting and intense controversy it was finally clarified that the demon’s role does not contradict the second law of thermodynamics, implying that we can, in principle, convert information to free energy. An experimental demonstration of this information-to-energy conversion, however, has been elusive. Here we demonstrate that a non-equilibrium feedback manipulation of a Brownian particle on the basis of information about its location achieves a Szilárd-type information-to-energy conversion. Using real-time feedback control, the particle is made to climb up a spiral-staircase-like potential exerted by an electric field and gains free energy larger than the amount of work done on it. This enables us to verify the generalized Jarzynski equality, and suggests a new fundamental principle of an ‘information-to-heat engine’ that converts information into energy by feedback control.
Schematics: [url]http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/extref/nphys1821-s1.pdf[/url][/quote]
The article's so recent that I couldn't find a free English source.
Maxwell's demon is something that, according to intuition, breaks the second law of thermodynamics. Imagine two containers with gas molecules bouncing around in them. The demon guards a door between the containers, opening and closing it so that slow particles end up in one container and fast particles in another. This appears to go against entropy. Over time the temperature difference between the two containers should even out, increasing entropy, but Maxwell's demon would revert the process.
If you have something that constantly decreases a system's entropy at no cost, you can get unlimited energy out of it.
I'll update this thread with more info after I'm back from school and after I've understood what it really is they're doing.
This is fucking huge! I mean like, unlimited power huge!
snip
edit: it sounds cool, according to the explanation in the op, but I don't really know what to make of the article
Awesome
[url]http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/information-to-energy-conversion-maxwells-demon-101114.html[/url]
Is this it?
i dont get it
This is awesome.
Whoa.
And then you'll be able to make information bombs. Just fill a shell with stupid youtube videos and you've got enough power to split a continent
Pretty kickass.
We're finding new ways to spiral the sinkhole, aren't we?
Looks like this is not as cool as I thought. It only decreases entropy of a given system, in reality, this machine takes energy to run, just not energy from within their testing system.
Was hoping for something Scribblenaut's related, but eh I guess this is cool too.
[QUOTE=Gordy H.;26075734][url]http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/information-to-energy-conversion-maxwells-demon-101114.html[/url]
Is this it?[/QUOTE]
Yes and that looks like a good article.
[QUOTE=DarkSpider;26076563]Looks like this is not as cool as I thought. It only decreases entropy of a given system, in reality, this machine takes energy to run, just not energy from within their testing system.[/QUOTE]
True.
The system's potential energy increases more than is used to control it. If you had free information about the system, you could get energy out of it - as it converts information into energy.
In this experiment they used high-speed cameras to obtain that information. That of course requires so much energy that there's no net gain.
Why did Max Payne 2 come to mind faster than science?
Wait it uses information as fuel?
He broke the physics engine.
Bwahahahahahahaha :devil:
[QUOTE=Swilly;26075648]This is fucking huge! I mean like, unlimited power huge![/QUOTE]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiCznGaex2c[/media]
[editline]15th November 2010[/editline]
I don't think this can be used for free energy. It's been known for a while that while separating particles like that may decrease entropy, you're going to get entropy gains somewhere else in the system, namely whatever is separating them.
Gentlemen, welcome to Godhood.
[url=http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101114/full/news.2010.606.html?s=news_rss]Here's an article that better explains what happened.[/url]
How long until the religious right misinterprets the usage of the word demon in this?
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;26080426]How long until the religious right misinterprets the usage of the word demon in this?[/QUOTE]
Give it a week or two.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;26080426]How long until the religious right misinterprets the usage of the word demon in this?[/QUOTE]
Misinterpret how? As long as they understand that it's a minor warp entity that fucks with the laws of physics in order to drive scientists mad everything will be okay.
[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;26080631]Misinterpret how?[B] As long as they understand[/B] that it's a minor warp entity that fucks with the laws of physics in order to drive scientists mad everything will be okay.[/QUOTE]
And there's your problem.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;26080426]How long until the religious right misinterprets the usage of the word demon in this?[/QUOTE]
Most linux programs run on daemons lol
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;26080426]How long until the religious right misinterprets the usage of the word demon in this?[/QUOTE]
Too late
[url]http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/15/scientists-convert-information-demonic-energy/[/url]
That's pretty awesome, actually.
[QUOTE=DarkSpider;26080761]Too late
[url]http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/15/scientists-convert-information-demonic-energy/[/url][/QUOTE]
you
I
I was [I]joking[/I]
[editline]15th November 2010[/editline]
[quote]Once again, foxnews blasts Christianity. This article shows just how desperately the scientists use their junk science for their grants. They can't even explain what matter is. This is why more and more scientists are giving up their atheistic views and embracing the Bible as fact. Only the Bible can explain God's work, only through Him will you find true knowledge. [/quote]
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