Re: problems with classical physics

["John S. Denker" <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>]

At 05:07 PM 1/25/01 -0500, David Bowman wrote:
> The use of a finite cell volume in phase space in classical stat mech
> is a classical version of a type of divergence "regularization" scheme
....
>  Without that finiteness classical stat mech is
> merely a "regularizable" [theory].

I completely agree with David's lucid note -- but to return to the question
that started this thread, there is AFAIK no evidence that this divergence
was recognized in the classical-physics era as enough of a problem to
motivate people to go invent modern physics.  Later, of course, people
retrospectively recognized it as a problem and recognized quantum stat mech
as a huge advance.

This non-evidence stands in contrast to other answers to the same question:
-- We have evidence that the specific heat of diatomic gasses was
recognized in the 1800s as a problem.
-- We have evidence that the blackbody spectrum was recognized in the 1800s
as a problem.

See for instance:
  http://history.hyperjeff.net/statmech.html