Ergodicity: Exploring Every Possibility Over Time

Ergodicity is a key concept in statistical mechanics that describes a system’s ability to explore all of its accessible microstates

Thermodynamic Limit: Scaling Up to Reveal True System Behavior

The thermodynamic limit refers to the idealized behavior of a physical system as the number of particles (N) and the

Percolation Theory: Modeling Flow Through Porous Media

Percolation theory is a branch of statistical physics and mathematics that studies how fluids, particles, or information move through porous

Ising Model: A Simple Framework for Understanding Magnetism

The Ising model is a fundamental mathematical model in statistical mechanics used to describe ferromagnetism—the phenomenon where atomic spins tend

Equipartition Theorem: Equal Energy Sharing at Thermal Equilibrium

The equipartition theorem is a principle in classical statistical mechanics that states: At thermal equilibrium, each independent degree of freedom

Partition Function: The Thermodynamic Rosetta Stone

The partition function is a fundamental concept in statistical mechanics that serves as a mathematical summary of all possible states

Maxwell–Boltzmann Distribution: Speeds of Particles in Classical Gases

The Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution describes how particle speeds are distributed in a classical ideal gas at a given temperature. It applies

Fermi–Dirac Statistics: Rules for Particles That Can’t Share States

Fermi–Dirac statistics apply to particles called fermions, which obey the Pauli exclusion principle—meaning no two identical fermions can occupy the

Bose–Einstein Statistics: Describing Particles That Like to Share

Bose–Einstein statistics apply to particles known as bosons, which do not obey the Pauli exclusion principle. This means that multiple

Rarefaction Waves: Expanding Regions of Low Pressure

Rarefaction waves are expanding regions in a fluid where pressure, density, and temperature decrease, typically forming after a shock wave