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How Did We Get Here? The Tangled History of the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Stephen Wolfram

But, first and foremost, the story of the Second Law is the story of a great intellectual achievement of the mid-19th century. There’s a discussion about H for systems that interact, and how there’s an equilibrium value achieved. It’s exciting now, of course, to be able to use the latest 21st-century ideas to take another step.

Energy 88
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Remembering the Improbable Life of Ed Fredkin (1934–2023) and His World of Ideas and Stories

Stephen Wolfram

It didn’t help that his knowledge of physics was at best spotty (and, for example, I don’t think he ever really learned calculus). But I think at least in the later part of his life, Ed felt his greatest achievements related to cellular automata and in particular his idea that the universe is a giant cellular automaton.