If you were completely enveloped in a material barrier that let absolutely no heat in and no heat out would you burn, freeze, or stay at exactly 98.6 degree Fahrenheit? Could you survive inside this barrier provided you somehow had food, water, and air?

You would overheat and die.

You'd burn, since the body is fueled by catabolic reactions, although there's no such thing as a true closed system

heat stroke.

What about the entropy of heat over time?

There is no real entropy in your example, as your subject is contained in an impenetrable cell.

Hmm, I need more explanation on this one. Heat is the rapidity of moving molecules, correct? And movement/momentum is a form of kinetic energy, which is subject to a dissipating entropy, correct? So wouldn't that mean the molecules would lose heat to entropy even in a closed cell? (Although they would regain energy from the catabolic processes of the human, but you know what I mean)

Side question: How would the law of conservation of energy apply to this?

So I guess the question really is whether or not the human generates heat faster than it can dissipate?

A large part of entropy is how it effects the universe.

In order for the heat generated by catabolic reactions in the body to truly affect the universe, they would need to traverse beyond the capsule you have contained your experiment in.

Granted, there will be entropy inside of the cell, but its effects will pale in comparison to inclusion of the universe outside of the cell.


Bolded: Outside of your cell, yes. Inside, however, the means for the heat to disperse have been eliminated, thus the specimen will die.

Hmm I don't understand, isn't the universe simply a bigger capsule? I mean I understand how the heat could expand and dissipate due to the molecules being further apart in a much larger capsule such as the universe, but that is different than kinetic dissipation right?

you would suffocate
letting air etc in makes nonsense of the idea of a closed system
the total amount of heat would rise at 1st , then stabilize ( assuming the material doesnt absorb any heat from within the system )

but what you're really asking is what would the temperature be ( 98.6 f is a measure of temp , not heat )
and it would rise ( both body temp and air temp ) until you die , and the metabolic reactions stopped( whether that be from lack of oxygen , or cell death )



there is no entropy of heat
heat would be generated ( as the expense of cell fuel ) , until death
once this happened , its a closed system , with no mechanism to transform the heat into work