Foundations of statistical mechanics 1845--1915 (Q2526337)

Reichhaltige und sorgfältig belegte Geschichte des Gleichverteilungssatzes, der Maxwell-Boltzmann-Verteilung bis zum Beweis der Unmöglichkeit der Ergodenhypothese. Contents: 1. Waterston's equipartition theorem. 2. Clausius's postulate about internal motions. 3. Maxwell's velocity distribution. 4. Equalization of kinetic energy by collisions. 5. The effect of forces on the distribution law: The ``Boltzmann factor''. 6. Equilibrium of a column of gas under gravitational forces. 7. Approach to equilibrium and the problem of irreversibility. 8. The paradox of specific heats. 9. Validity of the equipartition theorem. 10. The ergodic hypothesis of Boltzmann and Maxwell. 11. Digression on the history of mathematics. 12. Proof of the impossibility of ergodic systems.