How Shannon’s entropy met Clausius’s entropy in one illustration

September 28, 2025

How Shannon’s entropy met Clausius’s entropy in one illustration

I took a course from Edward Tufte a long while ago on the visual display of information and loved it. He challenged us to design single illustrations to tell our story, using the classic illustration (here) of Napoleon’s march to Moscow as a great example.

I took on this challenge in creating illustrations for Block by Block, working in collaboration with a great artist, Carly (Sanker) Kafuretty. I share with you one such illustration below in which I tell the story of how Claude Shannon’s version of entropy met Rudolf Clausius’s. See what you think!

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Robert T Hanlon

I earned my Sc.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and subsequently conducted post-doctoral research at Karlsruhe University in Germany. My professional career took me to Mobil Oil Research & Development Corporation, the Rohm and Haas Company, and then back to MIT where I am currently involved with their School of Chemical Engineering Practice.

About Me

Hi! I’m Bob Hanlon. After earning my Sc.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and enjoying a long career in both industry and academia, I’ve returned to school, my own self-guided school, seeking to better understand the world of thermodynamics. Please join me on my journey.