Balmer's formulation utilizes the similarities between the classical equations of chemical kinetics and the entropy balance equation of the second law of thermodynamics in order to derive a model for allometric biological growth, similar to the growth equation derived earlier by Austrian
chnopsologist (biologist)
Ludwig Bertalanffy. Critical assumptions of his modeling approach are that the rate of entropy transport is proportional to the surface area, and the entropy production rate is proportional to the system's
volume. Furthermore, it is postulated that the entropy transport and production rates are directly functions of the instantaneous value of the system's total entropy. Using Balmer's approach, the entropy rate balance can be solved uniquely for the entire system as a function of its age [3].
DeathIn his 1984 article “An Entropy Model for Biological Systems Entropy” Balmer postulated that: [3]
“All living systems are characterized by a continuously, decreasing total entropy level, and that biological death occurs at some minimum total entropy value. The time required to reach this minimum is the lifespan of the biological system.”
This is a curious view, generally in opposition to the long-standing view, such as professed by
Erwin Schrodinger (
What is Life?, 1944), that maximal entropy equates to death, not minimal entropy (see also:
human entropy). One possible explanation is that viewing the animate system as open puts the focus on the relative rates of entropy transfer and production, instead of on the net generation of entropy over a finite interval, as is done for closed systems. Thus the formulations used in describing animate thermodynamic systems should carefully be chosen for open systems in order to avoid confusion with the older formulations of classical thermodynamics which tend to describe system behavior in terms of closed or isolated systems, in which no matter is exchanged with the surroundings.
EducationBalmer completed his BS and MS, both in
engineering, at the University of Michigan, and in 1968 completed his ScD with a thesis on “Capillary Flow of Non-Newtonian Fluids” at the University of Virginia. In 1969, Balmer was a
mechanical engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Presently, Balmer is Emeritus Dean of Engineering and Computer Science at Union College in Schenectady New York, and Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
See also●
Jeff TuhtanReferences1. Hershey, Daniel. (2009).
Entropy Theory of Aging Systems: Humans, Corporations and the Universe (pg. 179). World Scientific.
2. Balmer, Robert T. (2010).
Modern Engineering Thermodynamics (
black box, pg. 33). Academic Press.
3. Balmer, Robert T. (1984). “An Entropy Model for Biological Systems” (
abs),
Chemical Engineering Communications, 31(1-6): 145-54.
4. Bejan, Adrian. (1995). "Entropy Generation Minimization: The Method of Thermodynamic Optimization of Finite-Time Systems and Finite-Time Processes", Taylor and Francis.
Further reading● Balmer, Robert T. (c.1978). “Entropy and Metabolism: A Macroscopic View of Aging”
, Report produced as part of Grant No. ROI AG 00489-01 given by the National Institute on Aging to the University of Wisconsin School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
● Balmer, Robert T. (1982). “Entropy and Aging in Biological Systems” (
abs)
, Chemical Engineering Communications, 17(1-6):171-81.
External links●
Robert T. Balmer (faculty) – Union College, Schenectady, New York.
●
Balmer, Robert T. – WorldCat Identities.