{"product_id":"anxiety-and-the-equation-understanding-boltzmanns-entropy-paperback","title":"Anxiety and the Equation: Understanding Boltzmann's Entropy - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEric Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA man and his equation: the anxiety-plagued nineteenth-century physicist who contributed significantly to our understanding of the second law of thermodynamics.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLudwig Boltzmann's grave in Vienna's Central Cemetery bears a cryptic epitaph: \u003ci\u003eS\u003c\/i\u003e = \u003ci\u003ek\u003c\/i\u003e log \u003ci\u003eW\u003c\/i\u003e. This equation was Boltzmann's great discovery, and it contributed significantly to our understanding of the second law of thermodynamics. In \u003ci\u003eAnxiety and the Equation\u003c\/i\u003e, Eric Johnson tells the story of a man and his equation: the anxiety-plagued nineteenth-century physicist who did his most important work as he struggled with mental illness. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJohnson explains that \"\u003ci\u003eS\u003c\/i\u003e\" in Boltzmann's equation refers to entropy, and that entropy is the central quantity in the second law of thermodynamics. The second law is always on, running in the background of our lives, providing a way to differentiate between past and future. We know that the future will be a state of higher entropy than the past, and we have Boltzmann to thank for discovering the equation that underlies that fundamental trend. Johnson, accessibly and engagingly, reassembles Boltzmann's equation from its various components and presents episodes from Boltzmann's life--beginning at the end, with \"Boltzmann Kills Himself\" and \"Boltzmann Is Buried (Not Once, But Twice).\" Johnson explains the second law in simple terms, introduces key concepts through thought experiments, and explores Boltzmann's work. He argues that Boltzmann, diagnosed by his contemporaries as neurasthenic, suffered from an anxiety disorder. He was, says Johnson, a man of reason who suffered from irrational concerns about his work, worrying especially about opposition from the scientific establishment of the day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJohnson's clear and concise explanations will acquaint the nonspecialist reader with such seemingly esoteric concepts as microstates, macrostates, fluctuations, the distribution of energy, log functions, and equilibrium. He describes Boltzmann's relationships with other scientists, including Max Planck and Henri Poincaré, and, finally, imagines \"an alternative ending,\" in which Boltzmann lived on and died of natural causes.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEric Johnson is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.44 x 8 x 5.38 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 01, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47441281745074,"sku":"9780262546614","price":72.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/1ebaaf85008dc662ba000a5bea21769e.webp?v=1778688399","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/anxiety-and-the-equation-understanding-boltzmanns-entropy-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}