entropy question

The magic 8-ball says, "Ask Again Later"

Grey goo is at maximal entropy.

David A. Smith

Are you sure? I believe you are right. But grey goo seems very ordered at one level which makes me think low entropy. On the other hand, a world overtaken by grey goo would have no information and loss of information means high entropy. One grey goo world would look like any other...

rK

What is the entropy of a primordial sea of prokaryotes?

What color is a complex number?

In other words, your question appears poorly formed. What is it you really want to know? Which of the several meanings are you using for the word "entropy"?

Okay, after consulting wikipedia, I see your point. There is the "energy available to perform work" then there is the "measure of the amount of information". I know that the second law applies to both, but I am pretty ignorant of information theory. But I can imagine two worlds, light years apart, both of which were overcome by grey goo. What can we say about the past of these worlds? Very little, I think.

So information entropy is high.

Wikip* says that classical entropy refers to a system in thermal equilibrium which wouldn't be the case here (?)

I am not so sure about it applying directly to information per se, but OK...

Life in general is a net producer of entropy, and so far, intelligent life is yet a better producer / increaser of entorpy still. Covering a planet with grey goo will maximize entropy, since life finds new niches to fill, and new food sources to act on.

It would be, yes. Unless you think the grey goo will net increase / decrease the planet's temperature, or somehow modify its sun?

David A. Smith