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Statistical mechanics is one of the most underrated Physics disciplines, having been largely replaced with the simpler thermodynamics in many undergrad courses.

Statistical mechanics is one of the most underrated Physics disciplines, having been largely replaced with the simpler thermodynamics in many undergrad courses. If there was one Physical formula for humanity to leave behind, it should be Boltzmann's entropy formula. Conceptually linking microstates to macrostates could lead to a glut of other discoveries, including thermodynamics (think Industrial Revolution), solid-state (semiconductor stuff), and molecular/nanoscale physics.

kgwgk 8y ago
What do you mean by “replaced”? Do you have an example of a place and time where statistical mechanics was taught, and not thermodynamics, and later thermodynamics had replaced statistical mechanics in the curriculum?
- guitarbill 8y ago
  From my (limited) experience with UK undergrad courses, it's more that stat mech and thermo were taught, but stat mech has been dropped/made optional. It's somewhat understandable, because a lot of interesting things have happening in other areas, e.g. quantum mechanics, astrophysics, etc. and the length of a degree hasn't changed. It's just one of those ironies that stat mech may have been ahead of it's time, and with cheap computing power it becomes interesting again (see molecular dynamics). Still, when i took stat mech largely by accident (i enjoyed that lecturer), it felt like a lot of things came together which i had previously just accepted in thermo, and other fields, too (e.g. early quantum mechanics, from what basis did they start). Hence my opinion to why it's underrated (you also hear very little of it in text books - it's just not "cool").
jules 8y ago
Aren't statistical physics and thermodynamics complementary? Thermodynamics is about deriving results given an equation of state and statistical physics is a method for finding the equation of state.
- Mvandenbergh 8y ago
  Yes, thermodynamics is rooted in empirical results and the use of thermodynamics in industrial age engineering pre-dates the statistical mechanics explanations of why the laws of thermodynamics are true.
rimliu 8y ago
That formula is carved on Boltzmsn’s tombstone.

kgwgk 8y ago

What do you mean by “replaced”? Do you have an example of a place and time where statistical mechanics was taught, and not thermodynamics, and later thermodynamics had replaced statistical mechanics in the curriculum?

guitarbill 8y ago
From my (limited) experience with UK undergrad courses, it's more that stat mech and thermo were taught, but stat mech has been dropped/made optional. It's somewhat understandable, because a lot of interesting things have happening in other areas, e.g. quantum mechanics, astrophysics, etc. and the length of a degree hasn't changed. It's just one of those ironies that stat mech may have been ahead of it's time, and with cheap computing power it becomes interesting again (see molecular dynamics). Still, when i took stat mech largely by accident (i enjoyed that lecturer), it felt like a lot of things came together which i had previously just accepted in thermo, and other fields, too (e.g. early quantum mechanics, from what basis did they start). Hence my opinion to why it's underrated (you also hear very little of it in text books - it's just not "cool").

jules 8y ago

Aren't statistical physics and thermodynamics complementary? Thermodynamics is about deriving results given an equation of state and statistical physics is a method for finding the equation of state.

Mvandenbergh 8y ago
Yes, thermodynamics is rooted in empirical results and the use of thermodynamics in industrial age engineering pre-dates the statistical mechanics explanations of why the laws of thermodynamics are true.

rimliu 8y ago

That formula is carved on Boltzmsn’s tombstone.