Norton, John D. (2012) Infinite Idealizations. [Preprint]
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Abstract
1. Approximations of arbitrarily large but finite systems are often mistaken for infinite idealizations in statistical and thermal physics. The problem is illustrated by thermodynamically reversible processes. They are approximations of processes requiring arbitrarily long, but finite times to complete, not processes requiring an actual infinity of time.
2. The present debate over whether phase transitions comprise a failure of reduction is confounded by a confusion of two senses of “level”: the molecular versus the thermodynamic level and the few component versus the many component level.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Keywords: | approximation, idealization, levels, phase transition, reduction, reversible process, statistical, thermodynamics | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Models and Idealization General Issues > Reductionism/Holism Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Depositing User: | John Norton | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 25 Feb 2012 13:59 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 25 Feb 2012 13:59 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 9028 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Models and Idealization General Issues > Reductionism/Holism Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Date: | 28 January 2012 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9028 |
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