Maxwell's Demon: Why Warmth Disperses and Time Passes

Rating:
Summary: Great book...
Review: "Maxwell's Demon" is a thought provoking examination of the connection of information and thermodynamics. The demon was invented by Maxwell, one of the founders of thermodynamics and electromagnetic field theory, to challenge the Second Law of Thermodynamics: you can't get run an engine from a heat source which is at one temperature. The little demon uses his intellect to apparently beat the Second Law by sorting hot from cold molecules, and then running an engine between the resulting two temperature sources! In the process the Demon has thrown down an intellectual gauntlet that challenges scientists and information theorists to this day. In the process of trying to "kill" the demon, the foundations of statistical mechanics, thermodynamics and information theory have been strenghtened and deepened. And the demon? He is never quite dead! In modern form, he has gained new life at IBM and Los Alamos and will at least be a continued source of challenge and scientific progress. The author is entertaining and erudite, and your time will be well spent reading this clever book.

Rating:
Summary: Great book...
Review: Anytime you can read a book and it can take an idea you have held about a certain subject (i.e. thermodynamics) and give you a new paradigm, you have found a good book. This is one of them.

It just tweaked my understanding enough to view it in a new, more clear, way. It may not be the most intellectually challenging book and it may be a little light but...so what?

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Adequate Historical Account
Review: The writing is in the style of Newsweek or Time magazine. That is, it is a popular and accessible style, but one that does not shrink from embellishing a tale with irrelevant (and fictional) details in an attempt to make it seem more interesting.

It is impossible for Von Baeyer to know what Mayer, Boltzmann or Maxwell may have been feeling at any particular juncture in their lives. Although the context within which they reasoned (e.g., the cramped and uncomfortable conditions at sea under which Mayer was working) is important to understand and interesting, Von Baeyer frequently digresses into aggrandized accounts of the intimate details. These are best left to the physicists' own words, and where direct quotes are provided, this book is at its best.

This text is a summary of the historical development of the laws of thermodynamics. It touches on the careers of Newton, Einstein, those mentioned above and others. Because it is broad in its historical sweep, but narrow in its focus on thermodynamics, it is a valuable tool for establishing an intuitive insight into a complicated and sometimes inaccessible subject. Therefore, its greatest value is as an introduction, and a good source of further historical readings.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful Demon
Review: This is a delightful account of thermodynamics written by an author with profound understanding of the subject. Being a physics/math type myself, I was occasionally frustrated by the absence of diagrams and equations. However, this is a popular account and not meant to be all things to all people on this topic. I'm happy to recommend it.