Arieh Ben-Naim
Encyclopedia
Arieh Ben-Naim(Jerusalem, 11 July 1934) is a professor of physical chemistry in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
. He has made major contributions over 40 years to the theory of the structure of water
, aqueous solutions and hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions. He is mainly concerned with theoretical and experimental aspects of the general theory of liquids and solutions. In recent years, he has advocated the use of information theory
to better understand and advance statistical mechanics
and thermodynamics
.
altogether, and replacing it with missing information. He also indicates that the Kelvin temperature scale artificially introduces the units of thermodynamic entropy. Because this temperature scale was introduced before the atomic, microscopic nature of matter was widely accepted, the Boltzmann constant was necessary. S=kBlog(W) could be expressed simply as S = log(W) if the energy units for temperature kBT were used.
An example of the insight that information theory
can bring to statistical mechanics
is the rederivation of the Sackur-Tetrode equation. It results from stacking the missing information due to 4 terms: positional uncertainty, momenta uncertainty, quantum mechanical uncertainty principle
and the indistinguishability of the particles.
Books written by Arieh Ben-Naim on entropy and statistical mechanics include:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. He has made major contributions over 40 years to the theory of the structure of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, aqueous solutions and hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions. He is mainly concerned with theoretical and experimental aspects of the general theory of liquids and solutions. In recent years, he has advocated the use of information theory
Information theory
Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. Information theory was developed by Claude E. Shannon to find fundamental limits on signal processing operations such as compressing data and on reliably storing and...
to better understand and advance statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...
and thermodynamics
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
.
Contributions to the theory of liquids
Books written by Arieh Ben-Naim on the theory of liquids:- Water and Aqueuous Solutions: An introduction to molecular theory (1974) (out of print)
- Hydrophobic Interactions (1980)
- Molecular Theory of Solutions (2006)
- Molecular Theory of Water and Aqueous Solutions: Understanding Water (2009)
Contributions in statistical mechanics in terms of information theory
Arieh Ben-Naim is a modern antagonist of the term entropy. He advocates abandoning the word entropyEntropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
altogether, and replacing it with missing information. He also indicates that the Kelvin temperature scale artificially introduces the units of thermodynamic entropy. Because this temperature scale was introduced before the atomic, microscopic nature of matter was widely accepted, the Boltzmann constant was necessary. S=kBlog(W) could be expressed simply as S = log(W) if the energy units for temperature kBT were used.
An example of the insight that information theory
Information theory
Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. Information theory was developed by Claude E. Shannon to find fundamental limits on signal processing operations such as compressing data and on reliably storing and...
can bring to statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics
Statistical mechanics or statistical thermodynamicsThe terms statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics are used interchangeably...
is the rederivation of the Sackur-Tetrode equation. It results from stacking the missing information due to 4 terms: positional uncertainty, momenta uncertainty, quantum mechanical uncertainty principle
Uncertainty principle
In quantum mechanics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states a fundamental limit on the accuracy with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle, such as position and momentum, can be simultaneously known...
and the indistinguishability of the particles.
Books written by Arieh Ben-Naim on entropy and statistical mechanics include:
- Entropy Demystified: The Second Law Reduced to Plain Common Sense (2008)
- A farewell to entropy: statistical thermodynamics based on information (2008)