Making sense of statistical mechanics / Jean Bricmont.

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Making sense of statistical mechanics / Jean Bricmont.

9783030917944 (electronic bk.)
3030917940 (electronic bk.)
9783030917937 (print)
3030917932

Cham, Switzerland : Springer, 2022.

English

1 online resource (x, 368 pages) : illustrations (some color).

10.1007/978-3-030-91794-4 doi

QC174.8

530.13

Many people, including physicists, are confused about what the Second Law of thermodynamics really means, about how it relates to the arrow of time, and about whether it can be derived from classical mechanics. They also wonder what entropy really is: Is it all about information? But, if so, then, what is its relation to fluxes of heat? One might ask similar questions about probabilities: Do they express subjective judgments by us, humans, or do they reflect facts about the world, i.e. frequencies. And what notion of probability is used in the natural sciences, in particular statistical mechanics? This book addresses all of these questions in the clear and pedagogical style for which the author is known. Although valuable as accompaniment to an undergraduate course on statistical mechanics or thermodynamics, it is not a standard course book. Instead it addresses both the essentials and the many subtle questions that are usually brushed under the carpet in such courses. As one of the most lucid accounts of the above questions, it provides enlightening reading for all those seeking answers, including students, lecturers, researchers and philosophers of science.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed February 17, 2022).

Undergraduate lecture notes in physics.

Print version: 9783030917937

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