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Maxwell Demon Bottle, PIRA#

Location:

attachment:MaxwellDemon-01-400.jpg

Description:

The Maxwell's Demon Bottle consists of a sealed flask which contains 5 white and 5 black spheres.

Equipment

Location

ID Number

apparatus

ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2

all other parts

ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2

...

ME, Bay B1, Shelf #2

Possible supplies that are needed

Rode and Tack Cabinet

...

In Lecture Halls

...

Stock Cabinet

...

Stock Cabinet

Setup:

  1. Begin with all the balls in the stem of the flask in the unmixed condition.

Cautions, Warnings, or Safety Concerns:

  1. Demonstration is a Glass Flask which can Brake

Demonstration:

Begin with all the balls in the stem of the flask in the unmixed condition. Inverting the flask mixes the balls and a discussion of the probability of the balls unmixing on inverting the flask again can follow. With 5 black and 5 white balls the odds against reproducing the initial array are 252 to 1.

Maxwell's Demon can be introduced and his task illustrated in the following manner; rotate the flask in a stem up position to impart a swirling motion to the spheres. Turn the flask to the stem down position and slowly reduce the rotation rate and the balls will spiral back into the neck. With a little practice the initial array is restored.

The "demonability" resides in the fact that the black spheres are constructed so as to rapidly lose momentum (see diagram).

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References:

  1. List any references

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