Warmth Disperses and

Time Passes:

The History of Heat

by Hans Christian von Baeyer

Random House, $13.95 paper

What is entropy, exactly? What is E=mc2? Why do hot things cool down but cool things don’t heat up without intervention (a hot plate, a fire, a volcanic eruption)? What is “now” and why is it different from any other time? Physicist Hans Christian von Baeyer answers these questions for the lay person in Warmth Disperses and Time Passes: The History of Heat (first published as Maxwell’s Demon). In an attempt to popularize physics, Baeyer examines the Second Law of Thermodynamics and how the pursuit of this law — to prove, disprove, or manipulate it — has captivated scientists for centuries. Warmth Disperses and Time Passes reads like a history book; Baeyer offers lots of names and dates. Still, he tells anecdotes, plus creates metaphors and similes (“molecules like elephants on parade”) for us right-brainers.

This article appears in September 17 • 1999.

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