Derivation of the Boltzmann principle Institute （玻耳兹曼的派生原则研究所）.pdf

Derivation of the Boltzmann principle Michele Campisia Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Universitätsstrasse 1, D-86135 Augsburg, Germany Donald H. Kobeb Department of Physics, University of North Texas, P.O. Box 311427, Denton, Texas 76203-1427 Received 22 September 2009; accepted 4 January 2010 We derive the Boltzmann principle SB = kB ln W based on classical mechanical models of thermodynamics. The argument is based on the heat theorem and can be traced back to the second half of the 19th century in the works of Helmholtz and Boltzmann. Despite its simplicity, this argument has remained almost unknown. We present it in a contemporary, self-contained, and accessible form. The approach constitutes an important link between classical mechanics and statistical mechanics. © 2010 American Association of Physics Teachers. DOI: 10.1119/1.3298372 I. INTRODUCTION struct a one-dimensional mechanical model of thermody- 3 namics in Sec. III according to the work of Helmholtz. The One of the most intriguing equations of contemporary concepts of ergodicity and microcanonical probability distri- physics is Boltzmann’s celebrated principle bution emerge naturally in this model and are introduced in SB = kB ln W , 1 Sec. IV. In Sec. V we generalize the one-dimensional model