entropy — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A measure of the disorder present in a system. A measure of the disorder directly proportional to the natural logarithm of the number of microstates yielding an equivalent thermodynamic macrostate.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. A measure of the disorder present in a system. Shannon entropy

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

3. A measure of the amount of energy in a physical system that cannot be used to do work.

   Usage

   • Countable

   Synonyms

   unavailable energy

   Examples

   Near-synonym: unavailable energy

4. The capacity factor for thermal energy that is hidden with respect to temperature.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. The dispersal of energy; how much energy is spread out in a process, or how widely spread out it becomes, at a specific temperature.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

6. A measure of the amount of information and noise present in a signal.

   Usage

   • Countable

7. The tendency of a system that is left to itself to descend into chaos.

   Usage

   • Uncountable

Noun

1. (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome

   Synonyms

   informationselective information

   Broader terms

   information measure

   Examples

   the signal contained thousands of bits of information

2. (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work

   Synonyms

   randomnessS

   Broader terms

   physical property

   Examples

   entropy increases as matter and energy in the universe degrade to an ultimate state of inert uniformity