maxwell's demon

[beachbum]

ok, i've never taken a physics class before and have NO basic knowledge, so i was reading a book that mentioned maxwell's demon and how he just made up that thought experiment. well how can ppl just make up an experiment when they have no experimental evidence to support it?

[J.C.MacSwell]

ok, i've never taken a physics class before and have NO basic knowledge, so i was reading a book that mentioned maxwell's demon and how he just made up that thought experiment. well how can ppl just make up an experiment when they have no experimental evidence to support it?

 

How does one make up an experiment prior to doing the experiment?

[beachbum]

they don't, its a thought experiment

[DQW]

The validity of performing a thought experiment lies in the fact that the scientific principles underlying the thought experiment are well established and supported by real experimental evidence. There is no new science in a thought ("gedanken") experiment, and hence no need for additional experimental support.