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European Journal of Physics

Explaining Gibbsean phase space to second year students

Author

Franz J Vesely

Affiliations

Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Vienna, Austria

Journal

European Journal of Physics Create an alert RSS this journal

Issue

Volume 26, Number 2

Citation

Franz J Vesely 2005 Eur. J. Phys. 26 243

doi: 10.1088/0143-0807/26/2/003


Article References
 
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Abstract

A new approach to teaching introductory statistical physics is presented. We recommend making extensive use of the fact that even systems with a very few degrees of freedom may display chaotic behaviour. This permits a didactic 'bottom-up' approach, starting out with toy systems whose phase space may be depicted on a screen or blackboard, then proceeding to ever higher dimensions in Gibbsean phase space.

 
PACS

01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies

05.45.Ac Low-dimensional chaos

Subjects

Education and communication

Statistical physics and nonlinear systems

Dates

Issue 2 (March 2005)

Received 8 October 2004 , in final form 1 November 2004

Published 11 January 2005



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