Multimedia Gallery
Entropy Made Visible
The magnetic stick and ball constructed toys first used to understand entropy, the number of different ways in which particles are able to arrange themselves.
Scientists have long studied how atoms and molecules structure themselves into intricate clusters, but researchers from Harvard University discovered additional clues as to how and why groups of atoms and molecules may favor less symmetrical and more complex, flexible geometric patterns. To read more about this research, see the story "Learning From Toys" in Harvard's daily on-line newsletter, the Harvard Gazette. [Research supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.] (Date of Image: January 2010) [See related image Here.]
Credit: Vinothan Manoharan, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
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