Entropy-Archiv - Hansruedi Straub

Entropy between Micro and Macro Level

Entropy between Micro and Macro Level

What energy is, appears evident to most of us. This is different with its counterpart entropy. Entropy, however, explains much of our everyday life, as well as basic processes in physics and biology. It is worth to be understood. Here, I explain the most basic facts about entropy. Two Levels Define Entropy: Micro Level and Macro Level The scientific physical definition of entropy characterises it as a difference between two levels: a detail level and an overview level. Example Coffee Cup The thermal entropy according to Boltzmann is classic, using the example of an ideal gas. The temperature (1 value)

By Hans Rudolf Straub|2026-01-06T10:08:44+00:0027. September 2024|Categories: Information, Entropy, Micro / Macro|Tags: entropy, Information paradox, Ludwig BoltzImann, Macro Level, Micro Level|0 Comments

Entropy and Information

Entropy and Information

The term entropy is often avoided because it contains a certain complexity that cannot be argued away. But when we talk about information, we also have to talk about entropy. Because entropy is the measure of the amount of information. We cannot understand what information is without understanding what entropy is. 1948: Claude E. Shannon invents the expression "bit" and links the concepts of information and entropy. Information is always relative We believe that we can pack information, just as we store bits in a storage medium. Bits are then the information that is objectively available, like little beads in

By Hans Rudolf Straub|2026-01-06T09:27:40+00:0011. September 2024|Categories: Information, Entropy|Tags: Bit, entropy, Macro State, meaning, Micro State, Thermodynamics|0 Comments

Five Preconceptions about Entropy

Five Preconceptions about Entropy

Which of these preconceptions do you share? Entropy is for nerds Entropy is incomprehensible Entropy is thermodynamics Entropy is noise Entropy is absolute Adjustment of these widespread preconceptions about entropy 1. Entropy is the basis of our daily lives Nerds like to be interested in complex topics and entropy fits in well, doesn't it? It helps them to portray themselves as superior intellectuals. This is not your game and you might not see any practical reasons to occupy yourself with entropy. This attitude is very common and quite wrong. Entropy is not a nerdy topic, but has a fundamental impact

By Hans Rudolf Straub|2026-01-06T10:12:54+00:0016. August 2024|Categories: Information, Entropy|Tags: Bit, Chaos, entropy|0 Comments

Information Reduction 7: Micro and Macro State

Examples of information reduction In previous texts we looked at examples of information reduction in the following areas: Coding / classification Sensory perception DRG (Flat rate per case) Opinion formation Thermodynamics What do they have in common? Micro and macro state What all these examples have in common is that, in terms of information, there are two states: a micro state with a great many details and a macro state with much less information. One very clear example that many of us will remember from our school days is the relationship between the two levels in thermodynamics. The two states

By Hans Rudolf Straub|2025-11-15T13:22:25+00:0013. January 2020|Categories: Information, Entropy, Information Reduction, Micro / Macro|Tags: Information Reduction, Macro State, Micro State|0 Comments

Information Reduction 5: The Classic Glass of Water

Information reduction in thermodynamics A very specific example of information reduction can be found in the field of thermodynamics. What makes this example so special is its simplicity. It clearly illustrates the basic structure of information reduction without the complexity found in other examples, such as those from biology. And it’s a subject many of us will already be familiar with from our physics lessons at school. What is temperature? A glass of water contains a huge amount of water molecules, all moving at different speeds and in different directions. These continuously collide with other water molecules, and their speed

By Hans Rudolf Straub|2025-11-15T13:24:59+00:0011. June 2019|Categories: Information, Entropy, Information Reduction, Micro / Macro|Tags: Information Reduction, Information Theory, Ludwig Boltzmann, Macro Level, Micro Level, Thermodynamics|0 Comments

Information Reduction 2: The Funnel

The funnel of information reduction In my previous article Information reduction 1, I described a chain of information processing from the patient to the flat rate per case (DRG): This acts as a funnel, reducing the amount of information available at each step. The extent of the reduction is dramatic. Imagine we have the patient in front of us. One aspect of a comprehensive description of this patient is their red blood cells. There are 24-30 trillion (= 24–30·1012 ) red blood cells in the human body, each with a particular shape and location in the body, and each moving in