Re: Why do we care about heat?

[John Denker <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>]

On Sun, 31 Oct 1999, I wrote:
> > If I haul a weight from height H=1m to height H=2m that is the epitome of
> > macroscopic work -- and there is no reason why it should not be reversible
> > (to an exceedingly good approximation).

To which on 04:04 PM 10/31/99 -0800, John Mallinckrodt responded:
> Sigh.  I must confess that I am growing more than a little weary of your
> unrelenting need to find virtually everything I say totally bizarre,
> unacceptable, not the way it is done, or just plain crazy.
>
> Look.  If *you* haul a weight from height H = 1m to H = 2m in the real
> world *you* have just performed an irreversible process for a number of
> reasons.

OK, how irreversible is it?  What percentage of the work *must* be done
irreversibly?  Can you state a positive lower bound?


______________________________________________________________
copyright (C) 1999 John S. Denker             jsd@monmouth.com