Category: emergent phenomena
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Why God plays dice: A pedagogical and accurate explanation of the second law
The second law of thermodynamics has taken a supreme place in the hall of fame of universal laws, owing to its time-asymmetric character and its countless applications in engineering, biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy. Yet, it also holds a supreme place as one of the most mystic natural laws that “nobody really understands”. But luckily…
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Everything everywhere all at once? Many worlds in context
The many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics has not only become an equal rival to the once all-dominating Copenhagen collapse interpretation, but it even breached through the fences of science and became a popular theme of Hollywood blockbusters. By contrasting the two rivaling interpretations, this post highlights some of the surprising stuff I have learned…
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What is a Boltzmann brain?
If you thought the name of this blog comes from me thinking to be a reincarnation of Boltzmann, then you were almost but not quite right. Boltzmann’s brain is a serious scientific paradox at the intersection of statistical physics and cosmology with the (still serious) consequence that the Universe could be filled with zombies, including…