No one replied to my message. Maybe because everyone is too busy to
look up and read the two articles. Okay, let's make it easier on
everyone. I have now written up a summary of the crux of the argument:
This month's issue of AJP has a provocative article about entropy:
April 2011 p. 342.
A key point in it that catches my attention:
TRUE or FALSE - The entropy of a classical ideal gas of
DISTINGUISHABLE particles (say monatomic for simplicity) is not
extensive and is different from the entropy of a clasical ideal gas
of indistinguishable particles?
The author makes the bold claim that the answer to this question is
FALSE. The Sackur-Tetrode equation is EXACTLY the same for a gas of
distinguishable particles as it is for indistinguishable particles.
The factor of N! belongs in both cases.
To fully understand Swendsen's argument, you probably have to look up
his Ref. 2 (in the Journal of Statistical Physics) which is in a bit
harder of a journal to track down than AJP.
Anyways, I'd love to hear some comments from the list. It sure
contradicts how I've understood the Gibbs paradox about mixing gases
which are or are not composed of different species of particles
(distinct by kind, isotope, spin, etc).
--
Carl E Mungan, Assoc Prof of Physics 410-293-6680 (O) -3729 (F)
Naval Academy Stop 9c, 572C Holloway Rd, Annapolis MD 21402-1363 mailto:mungan@usna.eduhttp://usna.edu/Users/physics/mungan/