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Re: problems with classical physics



At 6:19 PM -0500 1/23/01, David Bowman wrote:
Regarding:

What are some of the problems (or unresolved issues) with classical physics
>....

<omissions>

Also, all physical *entropies would be infinite* since in any finite
region of phase space, no matter how small, there are a continuously
infinite number of microscopic states in classical mechanics....

I think this should not be construed as an unresolved issue. The only
contribution that quantum mechanics makes to thermodynamics is that
it permits the explanation of thermodynamic values, like the entropy,
of systems which have important nonclassical quantum statistical
contributions to consider. The finite nature of a cell in phase space
is needed only conceptually; its size is never an issue. At the turn
of the century only entropy *changes* were considered to be physical,
and these are (and were?) readily explained without knowing the
specific cell volume.

Leigh