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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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: | 12 Dec 2024 00:50 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/60250 |
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