Order and Chaos
Thermodynamicists have prophesied the ultimate fate of the universe. The accepted motion picture of the temporal highway to equilibrium is one of increasing randomness and disorder, leading inexorably to chaos. Sears' elaborates on this description more explicitly than many authors, as follows: "The tendency of all natural processes such as heat flow, mixing, diffusion, etc. is to bring about a uniformity of temperature, pressure, composition a t all points. One may visualize a distant future in which, as a consequence of these processes, the entire universe has attained a state of absolute uniformity throughout. When and if such a state is reached, although there would have been no change in the energy of the universe, all physical, chemical, and presumably hiological processes would have to cease. The goal toward which we appear headed has been described as the 'heat death' of the universe." This picture is hedged by Singh2 in the statement: "The march of our universe as a whole toward its heat-death doom of total disorder does not preclude the rise of order and organization here and there in some localized regions with an overcompensating loss of order elsewhere." The laws of thermodynamics bear on the questions of the conservation and dissipation of heat. Heat must he conserved and dissipated so that the temperature of matter becomes uniform at equilibrium. I t must he emphasized that no assumptions are made concerning the inherent structure of matter in dealing with its thermal states. Hence, the state of material order and its metamorphoses with time must be extra thermodynamic. Unlike energy, which tends to disperse, matter, in its myriad forms of nuclear particles, nuclei, atoms, molecules, and macroscopic mixtures thereof tend to aggregate. All observations and experiments demonstate that nuclear, electrical, and gravitational forces drive matter into unique forms of organization as temperature decreases. Iuformationally speaking, quanta are programmed with the single imperative-Disperse in a random manner! Material units, on the contrary, have an opposite set of instructions-Aggregate in a
'SEARS,F. W., "Mechrtnim, Wave Motion, Heat," AddisonWesley Publishing Co., Reading, Massachusetts, 1958, p. 609. SINGH,J., "Great Ideas in Information Theory, Language, and Cybernetics," Dover Publications, New York City, 1966, p. 79. The "steady state" theory yields a similar conclusion. It is hypothesized that hydrogen is created ab initio in order to account far expansion. Subsequently, it undergoes a chain of reactions in existing astrc-nuclear furnaces so as to maintain the density and composition of matter under expanding conditions.
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selective manner! The informational content of nuclear particles controls the number of stable types of atoms and isotopes thereof. Each stage of material organization sets bounds for the succeeding levels. Thus, specific atom programs permit the formation of some stable molecules while disallowing the vast majority of random combinations. Small molecules, in turn, permit specific larger molecules and polymers which, in turn are the roots of the evolutionary trees of biological species, societies of living creatures, etc. Cosmological considerations also control the extent of atomic agglomeration. A universe containing a finite number of atoms in diverse forms of aggregation would become uniform in composition if space were subject to unlimited expansion. An alternative speculation hypothesizes a cessation of cosmic expansion when gravitational forces equalize the spent thrust of thermal expansion, initiated by the primary "big hang." Assuming the latter alternative, existing data indicate a high degree of atomic order for some substances. For example, if the Einstein radius (9.33 X loz6em) of the universe is assumed, and the extrapolated value of the vapor pressure of tungsten at 25'C is atm, the ideal gas equation yields a value of 2.5 X g as the mass of tungsten vapor in the universe. Recalculation of the radius of the universe containing one atom of tungsten in the vapor state equilibrated with metal a t 25°C is lo4*cm. Hence, these calculations permit the existence of all the atoms of tungsten in a solid lattice even if the universe should continue its expansion to 1016 times its assumed radius. The thrust of knowledge and theory indicates that the cooling of the universe results in a chain of selected bonding events driving matter into singular units of greater complexity. From the formation of the heavy elements a t well over a hundred million degree 'I< to man only a few hundred degrees OK is the thermal path to order. The final position of "Time's arrow" on the order-chaos spectrum will become sharper with continued evolution of biological species. Perhaps the intuitive sense of man, yearning for peace through order as revealed in legend and religion, may become a scientific triumph via the superior intellect of man's evolutionary successors. Can it be that the Delphic imperative, "Know thyself!" is the information being evolved in the totality of material transformations? One can dream that matter is heading for the structural configuration whose unique property is omniscience. Saul Soloway
The City College New York, New York 10031
