Jeopardy: Closed Thermodynamics
English 4 Honors
March 1, 2011
Isaac Awesomov Entropy is a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system that is also usually considered to be a measure of the system 's disorder, that is a property of the system 's state, and that varies directly with any reversible change in heat in the system and inversely with the temperature of the system (Webster). Entropy is a fundamental aspect of not only physics and its relation to thermodynamics, but also to biology and cognition (Ben-Naim). As it’s used in Isaac Asimov’s The Last Question entropy can be thought of as the point in which human existence is eradicated by the heat death of universe. Issac Asimov used entropy to explain our mortality and show how even if we …show more content…
against the TV quiz show’s two biggest all-time champions (Jackson). Developed by IBM Research, Watson is able to categorize vast volumes of information and using sophisticated algorithms built for searching known facts (Jackson). Watson can then answer questions in natural language (Markoff). Watson is an information seeking tool that’s capable of understanding human enquires in order to deliver that content through a naturally flowing dialogue. Watson consistently outperformed its human opponents on the show, winning $1,000,000 that was donated to charity (Markoff). Multivac, in The Last Question , is a similar computational machine, but what makes it ultimately superior than any computer we have today is its ability to actually think. Watson can only answer questions with known facts. It can’t answer the unknown any better than pure speculations. Multivac was eventually able to reverse entropy, creating the world anew …show more content…
Entropy can be called the universal harbinger of the end of time (Ben-Naim) . The Last Question revolves around an artificial, learning supercomputer that is unable to save the human species from extinction and the threat of heat death (Asimov). Even with advances in science and technology throughout the story, the computer remains unsure about the future of its creators. Nothing lasts forever. Even the youngest stars on the most distant planets will burn out if given enough time. Natural science tells us that everything in nature is subject to entropy. Entropy is a central element in Isaac Asimov’s famous short story that continuously plagues the human population with its definitive ending. Multivac’s actions create a new Big Bang, thus resetting entropy and time (Asimov). Stopping entropy is an interesting concept, but ultimately a fictional
March 1, 2011
Isaac Awesomov Entropy is a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system that is also usually considered to be a measure of the system 's disorder, that is a property of the system 's state, and that varies directly with any reversible change in heat in the system and inversely with the temperature of the system (Webster). Entropy is a fundamental aspect of not only physics and its relation to thermodynamics, but also to biology and cognition (Ben-Naim). As it’s used in Isaac Asimov’s The Last Question entropy can be thought of as the point in which human existence is eradicated by the heat death of universe. Issac Asimov used entropy to explain our mortality and show how even if we …show more content…
against the TV quiz show’s two biggest all-time champions (Jackson). Developed by IBM Research, Watson is able to categorize vast volumes of information and using sophisticated algorithms built for searching known facts (Jackson). Watson can then answer questions in natural language (Markoff). Watson is an information seeking tool that’s capable of understanding human enquires in order to deliver that content through a naturally flowing dialogue. Watson consistently outperformed its human opponents on the show, winning $1,000,000 that was donated to charity (Markoff). Multivac, in The Last Question , is a similar computational machine, but what makes it ultimately superior than any computer we have today is its ability to actually think. Watson can only answer questions with known facts. It can’t answer the unknown any better than pure speculations. Multivac was eventually able to reverse entropy, creating the world anew …show more content…
Entropy can be called the universal harbinger of the end of time (Ben-Naim) . The Last Question revolves around an artificial, learning supercomputer that is unable to save the human species from extinction and the threat of heat death (Asimov). Even with advances in science and technology throughout the story, the computer remains unsure about the future of its creators. Nothing lasts forever. Even the youngest stars on the most distant planets will burn out if given enough time. Natural science tells us that everything in nature is subject to entropy. Entropy is a central element in Isaac Asimov’s famous short story that continuously plagues the human population with its definitive ending. Multivac’s actions create a new Big Bang, thus resetting entropy and time (Asimov). Stopping entropy is an interesting concept, but ultimately a fictional