Statistical Mechanics

Statistical mechanics is the application of statistics, which includes mathematical tools for dealing with large populations, to the field of mechanics, which is concerned with the motion of particles or objects when subjected to a force. It provides a framework for relating the microscopic properties of individual atoms and molecules to the macroscopic or bulk properties of materials that can be observed in every day life, therefore explaining thermodynamics as a natural result of...
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Statistical mechanics is the application of statistics, which includes mathematical tools for dealing with large populations, to the field of mechanics, which is concerned with the motion of particles or objects when subjected to a force. It provides a framework for relating the microscopic properties of individual atoms and molecules to the macroscopic or bulk properties of materials that can be observed in every day life, therefore explaining thermodynamics as a natural result of statistics and mechanics. Statistical mechanics, however, goes beyond classical thermodynamics in that it gives the probability that the system is in any particular energy state. A variety of averages can then be performed. Statistical mechanics has the widest scientific applications of any physics subject. The primary goal of statistical thermodynamics (also known as equilibrium statistical mechanics) is to derive the classical thermodynamics of materials in terms of the properties of their constituent particles and the interactions between them. In other words, statistical thermodynamics provides a connection between the macroscopic properties of materials in thermodynamic equilibrium and the microscopic behaviors and motions occurring inside the material. The science of statistical mechanics is concerned with defining the thermodynamic properties of a macroscopic sample in terms of the properties of the microscopic systems of which it is composed. The aim of this book is to provide a clear, logical, and self-contained treatment of equilibrium statistical mechanics starting from Boltzmann's two statistical assumptions and to present a wide variety of applications to diverse physical assemblies.