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Re: Temperature applied to small group of particles



At 8:22 AM -0700 3/9/04, alex Brown wrote:
I was under the impression that thermodynamic state variables only applied
to a large collection of particles.....ie at the extreme of one particle in
a box it is pointless talking about pressure ....at what point does
pressure become meaningful.

'Taking the thermodynamic limit' is the phrase used when stat
mech is simplified to thermo.
(Or else I'll hear about it!!!!!)


I understand how temperature of a system in direct contact with another
system has the same temp as that sytem through the zeroth law.

Your use of the zeroth law seems to answer your question as
to what the T is on average.

--
Chuck Britton Education is what is left when
britton@ncssm.edu you have forgotten everything
North Carolina School of Science & Math you learned in school.
(919) 416-2762 Albert Einstein, 1936