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What statistical mechanics actually does

Wallace, David (2013) What statistical mechanics actually does. [Preprint]

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Abstract

I give a brief account of the way in which thermodynamics and statistical mechanics actually work as contemporary scientific theories, and in particular of what statistical mechanics contributes to thermodynamics over and above any supposed underpinning of the latter's general principles. In doing so, I attempt to illustrate that statistical mechanics should not be thought of wholly or even primarily as itself a foundational project for thermodynamics, and that conceiving of it this way potentially distorts the foundational study of statistical mechanics itself.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Wallace, Daviddavid.wallace@balliol.ox.ac.uk
Keywords: Statistical mechanics Thermodynamics
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Depositing User: Professor David Wallace
Date Deposited: 22 Jun 2013 13:01
Last Modified: 22 Jun 2013 13:01
Item ID: 9846
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Date: June 2013
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9846

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