• Boltzmann and Einstein: Statistics and dynamics — An unsolved problem

    • Fulltext

       

        Click here to view fulltext PDF


      Permanent link:
      https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/pram/064/05/0635-0643

    • Keywords

       

      Boltzmann; Einstein; dynamics; statistics

    • Abstract

       

      The struggle of Boltzmann with the proper description of the behavior of classical macroscopic bodies in equilibrium in terms of the properties of the particles out of which they consist will be sketched. He used both a dynamical and a statistical method. However, Einstein strongly disagreed with Boltzmann’s statistical method, arguing that a statistical description of a system should be based on the dynamics of the system. This opened the way, especially for complex systems, for other than Boltzmann statistics. The first non-Boltzmann statistics, not based on dynamics though, was proposed by Tsallis. A generalization of Tsallis’ statistics as a special case of a new class of superstatistics, based on Einstein’s criticism of Boltzmann, is discussed. It seems that perhaps a combination of dynamics and statistics is necessary to describe systems with complicated dynamics.

    • Author Affiliations

       

      E G D Cohen1

      1. The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York - NY 10021, USA
    • Dates

       
  • Pramana – Journal of Physics | News

    • Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

      Posted on July 25, 2019

      Click here for Editorial Note on CAP Mode

© 2022-2023 Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru.