The third law of thermodynamics
Everyone is always banging on about the third law of thermodynamics, no one ever wants to talk about the first, second or fourth laws.
WHO GIVES A F*CK ABOUT THE THIRD LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS?
(peterd was fighting crime on, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 12:49, 17 replies)

Fourth? You cock.
It's the second law that everybody is always banging on about:

www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=third+law+of+thermodynamics&word2=second+law+of+thermodynamics

www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=third+law+of+thermodynamics&word2=first+law+of+thermodynamics

Fourth. Fucking hell. It's no wonder the economy is fucked.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 12:53, closed)

er.... 3rd
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 12:56, closed)

Yes.
What?
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 13:23, closed)

maybe he got confused
thinking the Zeroth law is the first
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 12:56, closed)

Then we should cut one of his fingers off to improve his basic numeracy.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 13:23, closed)

In fairness
The concept of a 'zeroth' law is ridiculous. Probably a computer scientist's fault or somethink.
(WarneMarsh My priority for frivolity begets quality jollity, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 13:27, closed)

According to The Internet it was Arnold Sommerfeld
so although it does sound a bit silly, I think we're going to have to defer to him on account of his being having been a Massive Big Genius™.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 13:31, closed)

the law itself is a bit ridiculous
if I recall correctly

"if thing A and thing B are the same temperature and thing B and thing C are the same temperature then things A and C are the same temerpature"
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 15:29, closed)

Aye
that's pretty much it, hence the fact that it's existence is mostly ignored (plus it's not really a law of the same character as the others, it's a definition of temperature).
( Tedium Alduce me to interlow myself., Tue 5 Apr 2011, 0:47, closed)

The religiously insane think that the *second* law of thermodynamics somehow "proves" that there is a god
That's why they bring it up all the time. Essentially, they're cherry-picking science for the bits they think agree with them, without understanding what that science actually means or implies.

Put it this way: if someone brings up the second law of thermodynamics in a debate you can pretty much guarantee:
1) They have no idea what the other laws of thermodynamics are
2) They don't understand the implications of the second law of thermodynamics otherwise they'd never have brought it up in the first place
3) They're either creationists or some other flavour of proper loopy god-botherers
4) You can pretty much disregard anything else they have to say

There may be exceptions to the above; I wouldn't know, I've never encountered any of them.
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 13:38, closed)

I have never been able to find out if the original rant claiming that the second law proves creationism
was a genuine piece or a parody. It's the ultimate test of Poe's Law.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 13:52, closed)

You'll find it still crops up all over the place, apparently seriously
www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-thermodynamics.html

It's astonishing the way that they seem to think the Earth is a closed system, with no external energy source.
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 14:00, closed)

monicks.posterous.com/a-creationist-discovers-the-sun#
( Afinkawan Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 14:42, closed)

Ahahaha, exactly this :)

( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 14:46, closed)

1 kW per square meter...
... you would think that covered it.
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 14:58, closed)

That's the one.
But I'm still not convinced it's real.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 16:03, closed)

It's a fairly normal thing to hear
from idiot creationists.

Generally they don't do it so much to prove God exists, they try to use it prove that evolution doesn't exist - with the fallacious misunderstanding that disproving evolution somehow proves God.
( Afinkawan Yes I can hear you Clem Fandango, Mon 4 Apr 2011, 14:30, closed)