Black holes and bits: A simple path to Bekenstein-Hawking entropy

TL;DR

This paper offers a straightforward derivation of the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula for black holes, highlighting its physical significance and connection to Hawking's work.

Contribution

It provides a simple, heuristic, and geometric derivation of black hole entropy, making the concept more accessible and emphasizing its physical implications.

Findings

Derived the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula

Clarified the physical meaning of black hole entropy

Connected entropy to Hawking radiation phenomena

Abstract

In the early 1970s, Jacob Bekenstein discovered that black holes have entropy, which became one of the greatest scientific revolutions of the second half of the 20th century. The objective of this paper is to present a simple derivation -- partly heuristic and partly geometric -- of the equation for the entropy of a black hole, which we now know as the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. We will also briefly explore the physical implications of this equation and its relationship to the work of Stephen Hawking.