Universe Has 100x More Entropy Than We Thought 304
eldavojohn writes "Previous estimates are now thought to skimp on the entropy of the observable universe. The researchers contend that super-massive black holes are the largest contributor of entropy. Since they contribute two orders of magnitude more than previously thought, the total of all the observable universe is correspondingly higher. The paper highlights (in gruesome detail) new issues that arise with these new calculations — like estimating us a little bit closer to heat death (moving entropy totals from 10^102 to 10^104 out of a maximum of 10^122)."
Excellent! (Score:4, Funny)
MC Hawking on Entropy (Score:3, Funny)
http://www.mchawking.com/includes/lyrics/entropy_lyrics.php [mchawking.com]
Fourth Law (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Excellent! (Score:5, Funny)
gosh (Score:3, Funny)
discovery (Score:5, Funny)
Universe Has 100x More Entropy Than We Thought
Scientists must have discovered my daughters room.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Score:2, Funny)
So, it looks like we are closer to the novel than previously thought? And rather than witnessing the "end of the univers" (with dinner and wine) we are observing the cleaning crew (black holes) picking up the ... er ... mess?
Re:discovery (Score:5, Funny)
Universe Has 100x More Entropy Than We Thought
Scientists must have discovered my daughters room.
No, but the football team sure has!
Re:Excellent! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Second Law of Thermodynamics (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Fourth Law (Score:5, Funny)
Fourth Law of Thermdynamics [wikipedia.org]: There's always more entropy then you think there is, even when you take into account the Fourth Law of Thermodynamics.
I still wouldn't worry about the heat death of the universe [wikia.com], though, unlike those in the aforementioned link.
You forgot to recursively account for the fourth law, you fool! The death of the universe will now be exponentially sooner every moment that passes!
Re:MC Hawking on Entropy (Score:5, Funny)
The researchers contend that super-massive black holes are the largest contributor of entropy.
I have also heard that "glaciers melting in the dead of night" contribute to entropy quite a bit.
Entropy source (Score:3, Funny)
So if I connected my server's entropy generator to a black hole I'd never have to type a page full of gibberish to generate my SSH key pair again!
Re:gosh (Score:3, Funny)
Things are just falling apart all over!
On the contrary; things are falling together.
Re:You down with entropy? (Score:5, Funny)
Wow, Vogons posting on slashdot!
Re:Any astrophysics geeks out there (Score:5, Funny)
being haughty to AC is like shouting at a tree because a squirrel annoyed you.
Re:Black holes contribute to entropy ? (Score:3, Funny)
I want something that does the opposite. When I push a button. Without the billions of years it normally takes.
Re:Heat Death (Score:5, Funny)
>>>What, if anything, does that mean for the past and future of the universe?
There was a Doctor Who TNG episode about this. The universe at the point of heat death was a sad and depressing place to be... very very dark To paraphrase Marvin the Depressed Robot - Might as well slit my wrist now, since it will all end in tears anyhow.
Now the world has gone to bed
Darkness won't engulf my head
I can see by infra-red
How I hate the night
Re:Heat Death (Score:4, Funny)
If you have an alternate way of referring to the original Doctor Who and the new Doctor Who show, I'm open to suggestions.
Doctor Two?
Messier (Score:3, Funny)
I propose a three level scale: Messy, Messier [wikipedia.org], and Messiest objects.
Re:You down with entropy? (Score:3, Funny)
Atheist movement? ROFL.
FAIL.