The End of the Universe is Neigh!
October 14, 2012 7:56 AM   Subscribe

What would be the correct equation(s) to draw on a sandwich board to be worn that prophesies doom, gloom, and the heat death of the universe?
posted by dmd to Science & Nature (5 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
ΔSUniverse > 0
posted by pla at 8:07 AM on October 14, 2012


dS/dt > 0 or

lim(S) = inf
t->inf

Not positive about that second one (the limit might approach a finite value), but limits always seemed much more apocalyptic to me.
posted by supercres at 8:11 AM on October 14, 2012


Any of the myriad variations of the Anti-Life Equation

Also, just to make sure your signage is spelled right, it's "nigh" not "neigh." Unless you're working on some sort of Four Horsemen pun, in which case, good job.
posted by griphus at 8:14 AM on October 14, 2012 [8 favorites]


ΩΛ = 0.728 [1]
posted by RichardP at 8:31 AM on October 14, 2012 [1 favorite]


The Clausius Theorem would be pretty good--basically it's the equation version of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

If you want to be more definitive in your prophecy of heat death, use the strict inequality version of the Theorem, which applies to irreversible processes (ie, use < rather than <=).
posted by flug at 9:42 AM on October 14, 2012 [2 favorites]


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