Classical Thermodynamics and Information Theory as Resource Theories: Resources for What?

Tim W.E. Maudlin
New York University
New York, USA

Classical thermodynamics was developed for a particular practical purpose: efficiently converting thermal energy into mechanical energy. Information theory was developed for another: efficiently and reliably sending information over possibly noisy channels. As such, there are suppositions about what the agents in each case can and cannot reliably achieve. I will compare these theories, especially with attention to whether the quantities defined as “entropy” in each case really have much to do with each other.