The internet meme search engine.

ONE THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL MECHANICS 1.1 INTRODUCTION: THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL itas MECHANICS OF THE PERFECT GAS Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical mechanics. Perhaps it will be wise to approach the subject cautiously. We will begin by considering the simplest meaningful example, the perfect gas, in order to get the central concepts sorted out. In Chap. 2 we will return to complete the solution of that problem, and the results will provide the foundation of much of the rest of the book. The quantum mechanical solution for the energy levels of a particle in a box (with periodic boundary conditions) is (1.1.1) 2m The people studying it: