<off list>

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA>]

I don't see what you mean here, Joel. What insight do you gain by
reifying entropy? It is just a number that you calculate formally,
and it is no more nor less real than energy. How does it help you
to treat it as a thing?

> When I consider the ideal gas model, I really do assume the gas is composed
> of little teeny tiny hard-non-interacting BB's rattling around in a
> container.  I'm forced to do this to check for self-consistancy in the
> model.  I fully realize that the model isn't the actual object.

In that case you are not reifying it; that was the point.

> I like the quote, and reluctantly admit to being trained in theoretical
> physics; which may explain a few things.

This is a tolerant group; we won't hold you resposible for such
shortcomings.

Incidentally, Bill Unruh is an old friend of mine across town at
the University of BC. I think he's the fellow who first got the
idea of associating the area of the event horizon with the entropy.

Leigh