S Velasco et al 1993 Eur. J. Phys. 14 166 doi:10.1088/0143-0807/14/4/005
S Velasco, J A White and J Guemez
Show affiliationsThe probability distribution for the energy (velocity) of a particle in the microcanonical ensemble is obtained for some simple systems. Although in the thermodynamic limit the distribution has the well-known Boltzmann (Maxwell-Boltzmann) form (characteristic of the canonical ensemble), for finite systems this is not the case. This fact is important in the analysis of the results obtained from pedagogical computer simulations with a very small number of particles and constant total energy (i.e. simulations that generate the microcanonical ensemble).
02.70.Ns Molecular dynamics and particle methods
Issue 4 (July 1993)
S Velasco et al 1993 Eur. J. Phys. 14 166
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