3006: Demons - Revision history

CalibansCreations at 11:30, 21 November 2024

2024-11-21T11:30:51Z

172.68.245.185 at 00:25, 15 November 2024

2024-11-15T00:25:41Z

HARRISWON2024! at 23:35, 14 November 2024

2024-11-14T23:35:33Z

The-Ergster at 18:07, 8 November 2024

2024-11-08T18:07:46Z

172.70.39.197: added note that this comic was made possibly in relation to anniversary of Maxwell's passing.

2024-11-06T18:24:11Z

added note that this comic was made possibly in relation to anniversary of Maxwell's passing.

172.69.195.103: /* Explanation */

2024-11-05T16:50:14Z

‎Explanation

Transgalactic: added commentary about modern physics/torture + untangled a sentence

2024-11-04T23:17:32Z

added commentary about modern physics/torture + untangled a sentence

42.book.addict: added Category:Demons using HotCat

2024-11-04T17:52:54Z

added Category:Demons using HotCat

141.101.109.167: /* Explanation */

2024-11-04T15:22:45Z

‎Explanation

SomeoneIGuess at 18:56, 3 November 2024

2024-11-03T18:56:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:30, 21 November 2024
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	[[Category:Religion]]		[[Category:Religion]]
	[[Category:Demons]]		[[Category:Demons]]
		+	[[Category:Maxwell's Demon]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:25, 15 November 2024
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:07, 8 November 2024
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	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Created by a DEMI-DEMONIC DOORMAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}~~
−
	{{w\|Maxwell's demon}} is a thought experiment devised by {{w\|James Clerk Maxwell}} that appears to refute the {{w\|second law of thermodynamics}}, which roughly says that heat always flows from hotter regions to colder. In the thought experiment, two chambers, both containing a gas at the same temperature, have a door between them. A being (later called a demon by {{w\|Lord Kelvin}}) lets only fast-moving gas molecules move from the first chamber to the second, and only slow-moving ones move from the second chamber to the first. The second chamber's gas gradually warms as the average speed of its molecules increases, and the first chamber's gas likewise cools, apparently contradicting the second law. However, the actions of such a demon would use up at least the amount of energy that could later be extracted from having a gas separated into hot and cold parts, so such a demon could not gain energy and Maxwell's demon does not break the second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics is a fairly common theme in xkcd, last being mentioned in [[2848: Breaker Box]].		{{w\|Maxwell's demon}} is a thought experiment devised by {{w\|James Clerk Maxwell}} that appears to refute the {{w\|second law of thermodynamics}}, which roughly says that heat always flows from hotter regions to colder. In the thought experiment, two chambers, both containing a gas at the same temperature, have a door between them. A being (later called a demon by {{w\|Lord Kelvin}}) lets only fast-moving gas molecules move from the first chamber to the second, and only slow-moving ones move from the second chamber to the first. The second chamber's gas gradually warms as the average speed of its molecules increases, and the first chamber's gas likewise cools, apparently contradicting the second law. However, the actions of such a demon would use up at least the amount of energy that could later be extracted from having a gas separated into hot and cold parts, so such a demon could not gain energy and Maxwell's demon does not break the second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics is a fairly common theme in xkcd, last being mentioned in [[2848: Breaker Box]].

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 The title text continues the joke by suggesting that while Maxwell's demon's idea for torturing the souls of the damned might seem whimsical to the other demons, it could still be used to heat the flame pits better. The other demons' appreciation of this technical improvement mirrors real-life situations where kids that "have trouble fitting in with the others" due to their unusual ideas for games and atypical interests (e.g., in thermodynamics) occasionally earn some appreciation when their cleverness is found to be useful.
-This comic was published on 1 November, 2024, the day after Halloween, around the time when many contemporary comic strips have demonic, supernatural or other spooky themes.
+This comic was published on 1 November, 2024, the day after Halloween, around the time when many contemporary comic strips have demonic, supernatural or other spooky themes, as well as 4 days before the anniversary of Maxwell's passing (5th of November).
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 {{w|Maxwell's demon}} is a thought experiment devised by {{w|James Clerk Maxwell}} that appears to refute the {{w|second law of thermodynamics}}, which roughly says that heat always flows from hotter regions to colder. In the thought experiment, two chambers, both containing a gas at the same temperature, have a door between them. A being (later called a demon by {{w|Lord Kelvin}}) lets only fast-moving gas molecules move from the first chamber to the second, and only slow-moving ones move from the second chamber to the first. The second chamber's gas gradually warms as the average speed of its molecules increases, and the first chamber's gas likewise cools, apparently contradicting the second law. However, the actions of such a demon would use up at least the amount of energy that could later be extracted from having a gas separated into hot and cold parts, so such a demon could not gain energy and Maxwell's demon does not break the second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics is a fairly common theme in xkcd, last being mentioned in [[2848: Breaker Box]].
-This demon behaves very differently from mythological {{w|demons}}, which exist in the afterlife (usually some form of {{w|hell}}) and punish evil humans after death by causing them great suffering, as for example boiling them in oil or casting them into flame pits. In this comic, [[Randall]] jokes that if Maxwell's demon were to encounter more stereotypical mythological ones, he would probably not fit in very well, and would inevitably propose treating humans like the particles of the thought experiment. While a few physics-savvy humans might feel offended by such treatment{{Citation needed}}, real suffering could be caused by the anxiety of knowing that, once you choose to cross the door, you are not allowed to return ''for all eternity''. This modern psychological approach to torture stands out from ancient techniques of physical torture such as being boiled in oil or cast into a flame pit.
+This demon behaves very differently from mythological {{w|demons}}, which exist in the afterlife (usually some form of {{w|hell}}) and punish evil humans after death by causing them great suffering (for example, by boiling them in oil or casting them into flame pits). [[Randall]] jokes that if Maxwell's demon were to encounter more stereotypical mythological ones, he would probably not fit in very well because of his very different approach, proposing treating humans like the particles of the thought experiment. While a few physics-savvy humans might feel offended by such treatment, real suffering could be caused by the anxiety of knowing that, once you choose to cross the door, you are not allowed to return ''for all eternity''.
 The scientist Maxwell challenged traditional notions about physical phenomena by providing modern statistical explanations of "large-scale effects" such as temperature changes and modern infinitesimal explanations of "distant effects" such as electromagnetic forces. In a similar vein, Maxwell's demon in the comic challenges the mythological demons' traditional notion of torture by proposing modern psychological torture.

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 | titletext = Though they do appreciate how much he improved the heating system for the flame pit.
 }}
 ==Explanation==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:52, 4 November 2024
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	[[Category:Physics]]		[[Category:Physics]]
	[[Category:Religion]]		[[Category:Religion]]
		+	[[Category:Demons]]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 {{incomplete|Created by a DEMI-DEMONIC DOORMAN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-{{w|Maxwell's demon}} is a thought experiment devised by {{w|James Clerk Maxwell}} that appears to refute the {{w|second law of thermodynamics}}, which roughly says that heat always flows from hotter regions to colder. In the thought experiment, two chambers, both containing a gas at the same temperature, have a door between them. A being (later called a demon by {{w|Lord Kelvin}}) lets only fast-moving gas molecules move from the first chamber to the second, and only slow-moving ones move from the second chamber to the first. The second chamber's gas gradually warms as the average speed of its molecules increases, and the first chamber's gas likewise cools, apparently contradicting the second law. However, the actions of such a demon would use up at least the amount of energy that could later be extracted from having a gas separated into hot and cold parts, so such a demon could not gain energy and Maxwell's demon does not break the second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics is a fairly common theme in xkcd, last being mentioned in [[2848:Breaker Box]].
+{{w|Maxwell's demon}} is a thought experiment devised by {{w|James Clerk Maxwell}} that appears to refute the {{w|second law of thermodynamics}}, which roughly says that heat always flows from hotter regions to colder. In the thought experiment, two chambers, both containing a gas at the same temperature, have a door between them. A being (later called a demon by {{w|Lord Kelvin}}) lets only fast-moving gas molecules move from the first chamber to the second, and only slow-moving ones move from the second chamber to the first. The second chamber's gas gradually warms as the average speed of its molecules increases, and the first chamber's gas likewise cools, apparently contradicting the second law. However, the actions of such a demon would use up at least the amount of energy that could later be extracted from having a gas separated into hot and cold parts, so such a demon could not gain energy and Maxwell's demon does not break the second law of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics is a fairly common theme in xkcd, last being mentioned in [[2848: Breaker Box]].
 This demon behaves very differently from mythological {{w|demons}}, which exist in the afterlife (usually some form of {{w|hell}}) and punish evil humans after death by causing them great suffering, as for example boiling them in oil or casting them into flame pits. In this comic, [[Randall]] jokes that if such a demon were to encounter more stereotypical mythological ones, he would probably not fit in very well, and would inevitably propose treating humans like the particles of the thought experiment. While a few physics-savvy humans might feel offended by such treatment{{Citation needed}}, for most the suffering would stem from the anxiety of knowing that, once they choose to cross the door, they are not allowed to return for all eternity. This modern psychological approach to torture stands out from ancient techniques of physical torture such as being boiled in oil or cast into a flame pit.