Kelvin's Formulation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Poets involved
What happened
In 1851, Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) formulated key principles of the second law of thermodynamics, articulating the concept of energy dissipation and the arrow of time. His work built on Carnot and Clausius. These ideas revolutionized physics and influenced philosophical and poetic meditations on entropy, inevitable change, decay, and the universe's ultimate fate.
Literary impact
Kelvin's formulation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics in 1851 introduced concepts of entropy and decline, which permeated late Victorian poetry. Poets like Thomas Hardy and Gerard Manley Hopkins reflected on the inevitability of decay and the transient nature of existence in their works.
Source: Wikipedia
