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Rethinking boltzmannian equilibrium

Werndl, Charlotte and Frigg, Roman ORCID: 0000-0003-0812-0907 (2015) Rethinking boltzmannian equilibrium. Philosophy of Science, 82 (5). pp. 1224-1235. ISSN 0031-8248

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Identification Number: 10.1086/683649

Abstract

Boltzmannian statistical mechanics partitions the phase space of a sys- tem into macro-regions, and the largest of these is identified with equilibrium. What justifies this identification? Common answers focus on Boltzmann’s combinatorial argument, the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, and maxi- mum entropy considerations. We argue that they fail and present a new answer. We characterise equilibrium as the macrostate in which a system spends most of its time and prove a new theorem establishing that equilib- rium thus defined corresponds to the largest macro-region. Our derivation is completely general in that it does not rely on assumptions about a system’s dynamics or internal interactions.

Item Type: Article
Official URL: http://journal.philsci.org/
Additional Information: © 2014 Philosophy of Science Association
Divisions: Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
CPNSS
Centre for Analysis of Time Series
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited: 25 Nov 2014 09:04
Last Modified: 14 Sep 2024 06:44
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/60250

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