Entropy Explained: Why "Disorder" is a Myth and Probability Rules the Universe

We are often taught that entropy is simply a measurement of "disorder," but physicists warn this definition is misleading—after all, a cup of crushed ice looks disordered, yet it has lower entropy than a glass of calm water. To truly understand why time moves in only one direction—why eggs break but never un-break—we must view entropy not as messiness, but as probability. It is this statistical force, based on the sheer number of ways atoms can be arranged, that explains everything from the cooling of your coffee to the history of the cosmos. It drives the universe from its mysterious, low-entropy beginning toward its ultimate fate: a state of thermal equilibrium and "useless energy" known as heat death.