The word “entropy” basically means “disorder” or “randomness.”
It’s used in a few fields, but the core idea is the same: how mixed up, uncertain, or unpredictable something is.
- Entropy measures how disordered a system is.
- Example:
- Ice (solid water) = low entropy → molecules are neatly arranged.
- Water vapor (steam) = high entropy → molecules are flying everywhere randomly.
It can also mean decay, or inevitable decline. This is beautifully explored in a short story The Last Question by Isaac Asimov