entropy
entropy — noun
1. the level of disorder in a system, organization, or situation as it becomes less
the level of disorder in a system, organization, or situation as it becomes less organized over time
After the storm, fallen signs and broken wires added to the city's entropy.
physical disorder spreading through a system
Without clear rules, the volunteer group drifted toward entropy within a month.
move toward entropy in an organization
Dust, loose papers, and missed deadlines slowly raised the office's entropy.
Selim joked that his garage gains entropy every time he fixes something.
- disorder
the broad everyday word; less technical than entropy
- chaos
stronger and more dramatic, often suggesting complete confusion
- randomness
focuses on lack of pattern rather than general mess
文法句型
entropy in + system/organization
high/low entropy
move toward entropy
用法筆記
This broad sense is often used outside science for any setup that grows harder to control or keep tidy. Distinguish it from sense 2, which is a technical physics quantity, and sense 3, which measures unpredictability in information.
2. in physics, a quantity showing how much of a system's energy has spread out so f
in physics, a quantity showing how much of a system's energy has spread out so far that it can no longer do useful work
In class, Amani learned that hotter steam carries more entropy than ice.
compare entropy across physical states
The chart showed entropy rising as the sealed gas spread out.
entropy rises as particles spread out
Ilan checked the equation twice before calculating the sample's entropy.
When the metal cooled, Minh recorded the system's entropy in the lab notebook.
文法句型
entropy of + system
calculate/measure entropy
entropy rises/falls
用法筆記
This sense belongs to thermodynamics and usually appears with verbs such as calculate, measure, increase, and record. Unlike sense 1, it is not just about visible mess; it names a formal property of a physical system.
3. in information theory, a number showing how unpredictable a message or result is
in information theory, a number showing how unpredictable a message or result is, and therefore how much information it contains
Hugo said the scrambled code had high entropy because no pattern repeated.
high entropy means low predictability
Ishaan reduced the message's entropy by replacing random symbols with dates.
reduce entropy by making patterns clearer
Tomás measured entropy to compare two password lists before the security talk.
Camille explained that lower entropy makes a signal easier to predict.
- uncertainty
the nearest plain-English idea, though less technical
- randomness
focuses on lack of pattern rather than the formal numerical measure
- predictability
the opposite idea: the next result is easier to guess
文法句型
entropy of + message/signal
high/low entropy
reduce/increase entropy
用法筆記
This sense is used for codes, signals, passwords, and messages, where the key idea is how hard the next part is to predict. Distinguish it from sense 2, which deals with energy in physical systems rather than information.