From: mk_thisisit
The concept of energy is fundamental to understanding the universe and the processes within it, including life itself [00:11:57].
Energy as a “Hot Potato”
Energy is generally treated by all systems “like a hot potato,” meaning no one wants to hold it, and systems try to reject it [00:00:24], [00:12:41]. Despite this tendency, energy is a conserved quantity in the universe [00:12:52], [00:13:12]. This conservation holds true based on current experiments, with exceptions like Einstein’s general theory of relativity or a hypothetical extra proton appearing every billion years [00:12:57].
Systems will change their structure to get rid of as much energy as possible [00:13:51]. This implies that energy, rather than just movement, rules the world [00:13:59].
Entropy, Chaos, and Determinism
A core fundamental question in physics concerns what it means for the entropy of the universe to lead from chaos to something that appears like determinism [00:00:28]. Even though processes within cells, such as protein movement and reactions, are random [00:15:35], a deterministic outcome arises [00:15:59].
This emergence of order from randomness is attributed to a “principle of mother nature” that dictates how these random processes adjust and synchronize [00:16:19]. This principle of synchronization is key to understanding how systems, from cells to the universe, exchange energy [00:12:39], [00:17:51].
Cooperation and Emergence
When two systems that separately behave in a certain way are connected, new “emergent” properties appear while retaining traces of the old ones [00:19:37]. This “adjustment” or “cooperation” where systems manage to share resources and work together, often by trying to get rid of energy, is critical for functionality [00:17:38], [00:17:55].
Energy enables systems to remain far from equilibrium in “stationary states,” where time does not significantly influence constant streams of quantities [00:12:18].