Quick Facts
Biography
Harvey S. Leff (born July 24, 1937) is a United States physicist and physics teacher who is known primarily for his work on the foundations of thermodynamics, in particular, entropy and Maxwell's demon. He has published numerous research and expository articles in physics and has served the American Association of Physics Teachers in various capacities.
Early life
Leff was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in a Jewish family. In 1958 he married Ellen Wine and they have four children.
Career
Leff is known primarily for his research and expository articles in physics, in particular on the subjects of entropy, Maxwell's demon, and the foundations of thermodynamics, including his 1996 'energy spreading' metaphor for entropy change.
He was a postdoctoral research associate and faculty member at the Case Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and Chair of the Department of Physical Sciences at Chicago State University. He was Visiting Professor of Physics at Harvey Mudd College was as Scientist and Energy Policy Analyst at the Institute for Energy Analysis at Oak Ridge Associated Universities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Leff was Professor of Physics at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, where he was Department Chair and Professor. Since 2010 he has been a Visiting Scholar at Reed College.
Publications
Harvey Leff co-authored two books,,, numerous articles, and has a website All About Energy & Entropy.
Honors
Leff is a Fellow of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He served as President of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and President of the Southern California Section of the AAPT,and he has been Associate Editor and Consulting Editor for the American Journal of Physics.