Batterman, Robert (2004) Critical Phenomena and Breaking Drops: Infinite Idealizations in Physics. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics are related to one another through the so-called "thermodynamic limit'' in which, roughly speaking the number of particles becomes infinite. At critical points (places of physical discontinuity) this limit fails to be regular. As a result, the "reduction'' of Thermodynamics to Statistical Mechanics fails to hold at such critical phases. This fact is key to understanding an argument due to Craig Callender to the effect that the thermodynamic limit leads to mistakes in Statistical Mechanics. I discuss this argument and argue that the conclusion is misguided. In addition, I discuss an analogous example where a genuine physical discontinuity---the breaking of drops---requires the use of infinite idealizations.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Batterman, Robert
Keywords:	Thermodynamic Limit, Scaling, Theory Reduction, Critical Phenomena, Idealizations
Subjects:	General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Depositing User:	rbatterm rbatterm rbatterm
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2004
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2010 15:12
Item ID:	1622
Subjects:	General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Date:	February 2004
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/1622

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