Harvey S. Leff
Harvey S. Leff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 24, 1937 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 30, 2023 (aged 86) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Physics, focusing on: energy, entropy, Maxwell's demon, and the foundations of thermodynamics. |
Harvey S. Leff (July 24, 1937 – December 30, 2023) was an American physicist and physics teacher who is known primarily for his research and expository articles in physics, focusing on energy, entropy, Maxwell's demon, and the foundations of thermodynamics. He introduced the 'energy spreading' metaphor for entropy change.[1][2] Leff died on December 30, 2023, at the age of 86.[3]
Career[edit]
Leff was a faculty member at the Case Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University, Chicago State University, Harvey Mudd College and was a scientist and energy policy analyst at the Institute for Energy Analysis at Oak Ridge Associated Universities. For most of his career, he was professor at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. In 2010, he became a visiting scholar at Reed College.
Publications[edit]
Leff was author of a monograph on energy and entropy,[4] co-edited two editions of a book on Maxwell's demon,[5][6] published research articles,[7] and a website on energy and entropy.[8]
Honors[edit]
Leff was a Fellow of the American Association of Physics Teachers[9] and a Fellow of the American Physical Society.[10] He was an associate editor and consulting editor for the American Journal of Physics, and was president of the American Association of Physics Teachers.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ "Thermodynamic entropy: The spreading and sharing of energy," American Journal of Physics 64, 1261-1271 (1996).
- ^ "Entropy, Its Language, and Interpretation," Foundations in Physics, 37, 1744-1766 (2007).
- ^ "Harvey Leff". Holman's Funeral & Cremation Service. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Energy and Entropy: A Dynamic Duo, CRC Press, Aug 2020
- ^ Maxwell's Demon 2: Entropy, Classical and Quantum Information, Computing, Institute of Physics, Bristol, 2003. Co-editor: A. F. Rex
- ^ Maxwell's Demon: Entropy, Information, Computing, Princeton University Press and Adam Hilger/British Institute of Physics, 1990. Co-editor: A. F. Rex.
- ^ Google Scholar search for Harvey S. Leff
- ^ All About Energy & Entropy
- ^ AAPT Fellows 2014
- ^ APS Fellows 2017
- ^ AAPT Officers, Past and Present
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
- 1937 births
- 2023 deaths
- 21st-century American physicists
- Jewish American physicists
- Illinois Institute of Technology alumni
- Northwestern University alumni
- Scientists from Portland, Oregon
- Scientists from Chicago
- University of Iowa alumni
- Fellows of the American Physical Society
- Presidents of the American Association of Physics Teachers