Re/Generative Glossary

Entropy

(Physical/ Thermodynamic)

Author: Lauren Walker

Entropy, in physics, is a measure of a system’s disorder and the amount of energy unavailable to do work. According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, isolated systems naturally evolve toward higher entropy: energy spreads out, and order decreases over time. Entropy quantifies this energy dispersal, providing a mathematical way to distinguish processes that are possible from those that are not.

The change in entropy (ΔS) is calculated from this formula: ΔS= Qrev ​​/ T

Qrev​ = reversible heat added T= temperature

In the context of Heat Mapping Entropy:

High Entropy visualizing
  • High entropy: heat is evenly distributed across the LED matrix; light intensity fades toward baseline, representing global disorder.

Low Entropy visualizing
  • Low entropy: heat is concentrated in a bright hotspot, representing local order.
  • The system constantly oscillates between local order (hotspot) and global disorder (decay), visually embodying thermodynamic entropy.