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Name |
Boltzmann's Distribution |
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Equation |
P
(
ε
)
=
exp
(
-
ε
/
k
B
T
)
Σ
ε
e
x
p
(
-
ε
/
k
B
T
)
|
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Definition of terms |
P = probability, ε = energy, kB = Boltzmann's constant, T = temperature |
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Comments |
The Boltzmann distribution gives the probability of a particle having energy ε in a system in equilibrium at temperature T . The denominator is a normalising constant such that the sum of the probabilities is 1.
The Boltzmann distribution was developed by Ludwig Boltzmann (1844 - 1906). |
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References
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Quantum Physics , S Gasiorowicz, John Wiley & Sons, 1974 |
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