entropy
entropy — 名詞
1. the level of disorder in a system, organization, or situation as it becomes less
失序程度
系統中混亂或失序的程度
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.
暴風雨過後，倒下的路牌和斷掉的電線讓整座城市更失序。
physical disorder spreading through a system
Without clear rules, the volunteer group drifted toward entropy within a month.
沒有明確規則時，那個志工團體不到一個月就逐漸走向失序。
move toward entropy in an organization
Dust, loose papers, and missed deadlines slowly raised the office's entropy.
灰塵、散紙和一再延誤的期限，慢慢提高了辦公室的混亂程度。
Selim joked that his garage gains entropy every time he fixes something.
Selim 開玩笑說，他每修一次東西，車庫的失序程度就更高一點。
- 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
熱力熵
物理系統中不可做功的量度
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.
Amani 在課堂上學到，熱蒸氣的熱力熵比冰更高。
compare entropy across physical states
The chart showed entropy rising as the sealed gas spread out.
圖表顯示，密封氣體一擴散開來，熱力熵就會上升。
entropy rises as particles spread out
Ilan checked the equation twice before calculating the sample's entropy.
Ilan 在計算樣本的熱力熵前，先把公式檢查了兩遍。
When the metal cooled, Minh recorded the system's entropy in the lab notebook.
金屬冷卻時，Minh 把系統的熱力熵記在實驗筆記裡。
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
資訊熵
訊息可預測程度的量度
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.
Hugo 說，那串打亂的程式碼具有很高的資訊熵，因為沒有任何重複模式。
high entropy means low predictability
Ishaan reduced the message's entropy by replacing random symbols with dates.
Ishaan 把隨機符號換成日期後，降低了這則訊息的資訊熵。
reduce entropy by making patterns clearer
Tomás measured entropy to compare two password lists before the security talk.
Tomás 在那場資訊安全講座前，測量了熵來比較兩份密碼清單。
Camille explained that lower entropy makes a signal easier to predict.
Camille 解釋說，較低的資訊熵會讓訊號更容易預測。
- 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.