Article ID: CBB000771639

Boltzmann and Gibbs: An Attempted Reconciliation (2005)

unapi

Lavis, D. A. (Author)


Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
Volume: 36
Pages: 245--273


Publication Date: 2005
Edition Details: Part of a special issue: “Philosophical and Foundational Issues in Statistical Physics”
Language: English

There are three levels of description in classical statistical mechanics, the microscopic/dynamic, the macroscopic/statistical and the thermodynamic. At one end there is a well-used concept of equilibrium in thermodynamics and at the other dynamic equilibrium does not exist in measure-preserving reversible dynamic systems. Statistical mechanics attempts to situate equilibrium at the macroscopic level in the Boltzmann approach and at the statistical level in the Gibbs approach. The aim of this work is to propose a reconciliation between these approaches and to do so we need to reconsider the concept of equilibrium. Our proposal is that the binary property of the system being or not being in equilibrium is replaced by a continuous property of commonness.

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Article Uffink, Jos (2005) Introduction. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (p. 219). unapi

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Authors & Contributors
Bächtold, Manuel
Badino, M.
Bao, Fangxun
Bordoni, Stefano
Brown, Harvey R.
Campisi, Michele
Journals
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics
Archive for History of Exact Sciences
European Physical Journal H
Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte
Journal for General Philosophy of Science
Metascience: An International Review Journal for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science
Publishers
Free Press
MIT Press
Oxford University Press
The MIT Press
Concepts
Physics
Statistical mechanics
Thermodynamics
Probability and statistics
Philosophy of science
Controversies and disputes
People
Boltzmann, Ludwig
Maxwell, James Clerk
Gibbs, Josiah Willard
Planck, Max
Poincaré, Jules Henri
Duhem, Pierre
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
20th century
20th century, late
Places
Austria
Vienna (Austria)
Europe
Germany
United States
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