Science and Creationism 13. Physics © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net

Thermodynamics Does the second law of thermodynamics disprove evolution? No! The second law applies only to closed systems The Earth is not a closed system It has heat input and output The second law is not about ‘randomness’, it is about useful energy in physical systems Further attempts to invent laws prohibiting ‘increasing order’ are futile They invariably confuse mathematical definitions of randomness They avoid the obvious counterexamples: Animal and plant growth Crystal formation © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net

Atomic Decay What causes atomic decay? Can atomic decay rates vary? Some unstable atomic nuclei spontaneously emit radioactive particles This happens by a process known as ‘quantum tunneling’ Can atomic decay rates vary? No, the laws of physics determine decay rates They have never been observed to vary There is no known mechanism by which they might vary The parameters governing decay rates are well understood Using geophysics and astrophysics, they can be measured reliably back millions of years How fast would decay have to be to agree with a young (6,000 yr old) Earth? Roughly 1 million times higher than is observed If this were the case, the Earth would have been cooked by its own Nuclear core Even if decay rates did vary, this is irrelevant Modern methods correct for this © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net