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A common misconception is that there is a principle of minimum energy. Many arguments in physics and chemistry are based on the notion that systems tend toward a state of minimum energy. For instance, it is often stated that a proton and an electron will find their most stable configuration when combined the ground state of a hydrogen atom, because that state's energy is 13.6 electron volts (eV) lower than when the two particles separated by an infinite distance. The actual reason this is the stable state is that the energy difference as the particles coalesce is given off as electromagnetic radiation, i.e. heat, which increases the entropy of the surroundings, ultimately joining the 2.7 Kelvin interstellar blackbody radiation left over from the Big Bang. The flow of heat from place to place, driven by temperature differences, produces even more entropy. It is the second law of thermodynamics which explains movement toward any stable state. In its most general and succinct form, the second law says that all spontaneous processes produce entropy. Image File history File links Stop_hand. ... A concept is an abstract, universal idea, notion or entity that serves to designate a category or class of entities, events or relations. ... A black hole concept drawing by NASA. Physics (from the Greek, φυσικός (physikos), natural, and φύσις (physis), nature) is the science of the natural world dealing with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the forces they exert on one another, and the results produced by these forces. ... Chemistry (derived from the Arabic word kimia, alchemy, where al is Arabic for the) is the science that deals with the properties of organic and inorganic substances and their interactions with other organic and inorganic substances. ... A system is an assemblage of inter-related elements comprising a unified whole. ... Properties In physics, the proton (Greek proton = first) is a subatomic particle with an electric charge of one positive fundamental unit (1. ... Properties The electron is a fundamental subatomic particle which carries a negative electric charge. ... óéàThe discussion below presumes knowledge of material contained at Atomic orbital. ... In physics, the ground state of a quantum mechanical system is its lowest-energy state. ... A hydrogen atom is an atom of the element hydrogen. ... An electronvolt (symbol: eV) is the amount of kinetic energy gained by a single unbound electron when it passes through an electrostatic potential difference of one volt, in vacuum. ... In particle physics, an elementary particle is a particle of which other, larger particles are composed. ... Infinity is a term with very distinct, separate meanings which arise in theology, philosophy, mathematics and everyday life. ... Proximity (2001) is also a movie with Rob Lowe, Fred Ward and James Coburn. ... Electromagnetic radiation can be conceptualized as a self propagating transverse oscillating wave of electric and magnetic fields. ... A red-hot iron rod cooling after being worked by a blacksmith. ... In thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, the thermodynamic entropy (or simply the entropy) S is a key physical variable in describing a thermodynamic system. ... The kelvin (symbol: K) is the SI unit of temperature, and is one of the seven SI base units. ... The distribution of ionized hydrogen (known by astronomers as H II (aitch two) from old spectroscopic terminology) in the parts of the Galactic interstellar medium visible from the Earths northern hemisphere (from the Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper Survey) In astronomy, the interstellar medium (or ISM) is the matter and... As the temperature decreases, the peak of the black body radiation curve moves to lower intensities and longer wavelengths. ... According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe originated in an extremely dense and hot state (bottom). ... Temperature is the physical property of a system which underlies the common notions of hot and cold; the material with the higher temperature is said to be hotter. ... The second law of thermodynamics, in a concise form, states that the total entropy of any thermodynamically isolated system tends to increase over time, approaching a maximum value. // General description In a general sense, the second law says that the differences between systems in contact with each other tend to...

A ball ends up at the bottom of a hill rather than rolling up and down slopes continually. The reason is that as it rolls downward under the influence of gravity, friction produced by its motion adds to the heat of the surroundings with an attendant increase in entropy. If one expects to find a protein folded in a state of lowest energy, it is also because of the second law, the only fundamental physical law which is asymmetric with respect to time. The first law of thermodynamics, the principle of conservation of energy, would conflict with an energy minimum principle. Where would it go if it is conserved? Only the amount of entropy, but not energy (in all its various forms), changes over the course of time. It has been suggested that gravitation be merged into this article or section. ... Friction is the force that opposes the relative motion or tendency of such motion of two surfaces in contact. ... In a thermodynamics problem, the surroundings, or environment, are anything not part of the system. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... A physical law, scientific law, or a law of nature is a scientific generalization based on empirical observations. ... A watch Attempting to understand time has long been a prime occupation for philosophers, scientists and artists. ... The first law of thermodynamics, a generalized expression of the law of the conservation of energy, states: // Description The essence of the First Law of Thermodynamics declares: energy cannot be destroyed. ... Conservation of energy is possibly the most important, and certainly the most practically useful of several conservation laws in physics. ...

There is nothing wrong with using "lowest energy" arguments, but only with the realization that they are corollaries of the second law. Problems are avoided when one is careful to say "free energy", as (absolute) temperature times entropy appears explicitly in its definition. In fact, free energy decrease is often used merely as a surrogate for (−T times) the entropy produced. The free energy is a measure of the amount of mechanical (or other) work that can be extracted from a system, and is helpful in engineering applications. ... Thermodynamic temperature is a measure, in kelvins (K) of temperature for thermodynamics, with a uniquely defined zero point at absolute zero. ...