Accuracy Quote by John Archibald Wheeler
![“Every heat engineer knows he can design his heat engine reliably and accurately on the foundation of the second law [of thermodynamics]. Run alongside one of the molecules, however, and ask it what it thinks of the second law. It will laugh at us. It never heard of the second law. It does what it…” quote by John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c57/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_accuracy_every-heat-engineer-knows-he-can-design_1326512.jpg)
“Every heat engineer knows he can design his heat engine reliably and accurately on the foundation of the second law [of thermodynamics]. Run alongside one of the molecules, however, and ask it what it thinks of the second law. It will laugh at us. It never heard of the second law. It does what it wants. All the same, a collection of billions upon billions of such molecules obeys the second law with all the accuracy one could want”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Thermodynamics Seminar, 1975, MIT
Molecules act independently of physical laws, yet their collective behavior follows the second law precisely.
In simple terms: Individual parts ignore rules, groups obey them.
Key Takeaway
Consider emergent order from random actions.
Themes
physics
thermodynamics
emergence
Mood
inquisitive
thought‑provoking
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- nanotechnology
- materials science
- energy systems
Key Concepts
second law
statistical mechanics
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this imply for designing micro‑machines?
- How reliable is emergent behavior?
A Different Perspective
Statistical laws may break down at extreme scales.
![“Second Law of Thermodynamics. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states, “[A]lthough the total energy in the cosmos remains constant, the amount of energy available to do useful work is always getting smaller.” 70 The second law of thermodynamics assumes that the universe is a closed system because…” quote by Jeff Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/393/jeff-myers-66878_air-force_second-law-of-thermodynamics-the-second_1281818.jpg)
