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Boltzmann and Einstein: Statistics and dynamics — An unsolved problem

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Abstract

The struggle of Boltzmann with the proper description of the behavior of classical macroscopic bodies in equilibrium in terms of the properties of the particles out of which they consist will be sketched. He used both a dynamical and a statistical method. However, Einstein strongly disagreed with Boltzmann’s statistical method, arguing that a statistical description of a system should be based on the dynamics of the system. This opened the way, especially for complex systems, for other than Boltzmann statistics. The first non-Boltzmann statistics, not based on dynamics though, was proposed by Tsallis. A generalization of Tsallis’ statistics as a special case of a new class of superstatistics, based on Einstein’s criticism of Boltzmann, is discussed. It seems that perhaps a combination of dynamics and statistics is necessary to describe systems with complicated dynamics.

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    E. G. D. Cohen

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Cohen, E.G.D. Boltzmann and Einstein: Statistics and dynamics — An unsolved problem. Pramana - J Phys 64, 635–643 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02704573

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