Statistical Physics

Statistical physics is the holy grail of Physics. Statistical physics has taught us many lessons in the universe and will definitely teach us more. It aims at studying the macroscopic parameters of a system. The study is done when it is in equilibrium from the knowledge of the microscopic properties using the law of mechanics. Thou, this approach is differing from thermodynamics that studies the macroscopic system in equilibrium from the macroscopic standpoint. It is done without considering the microscopic parameters.

What is Statistical Physics?

It is the branch of physics where a scheme to calculate the free energy is formulated. In statistical physics, the fact that matters consist of atoms. These are the microscopic laws that govern the motion of atoms. Most importantly an additional law of statistical physics gives a general expression for free energy.

Statistical physics can easily study thermal equilibrium states and non-equilibrium states.

Statistical physics is a branch of physics yields from a foundation of statistical mechanics. It uses methods of probability theory and statistics. Usually, it uses mathematical tools for dealing with large populations and approximations, in solving physical problems. It can describe a variety of fields with an inherently stochastic nature. The applications of statistical physics include many problems in the fields of physics,  biology,  chemistry,  neuroscience. The main work is to clear the properties of matter in aggregate, in terms of physical laws governing atomic motion.

Statistical mechanics develop the phenomenological results of thermodynamics. These results are from a probabilistic examination of the underlying microscopic systems. The first topics in physics where statistical methods were applied were the field of classical mechanics. It is concerned with the motion of particles or objects when subjected to a force.

Need for Statistical Description in Physics

Statistics used in physics gives a conceptual link between the macroscopic and the microscopic view.

• Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics are in use to describe the distribution of particles at different energy levels as a function of temperature. This has can be in use to gain insight into a wide range of processes such as diffusion.
• A statistical approach to thermodynamics can give a deeper understanding of different concepts. For instance, the temperature can easily be understood statistically, as the average kinetic energy of atoms in a bulk material.
• The application of statistics to describe processes such as Brownian motion has proven to be useful in the derivation of the path-integral formulation of quantum physics.
• The study of statistics provides a practical set of tools for testing hypotheses and estimating intervals on aggregate data. It forms the basis for the proper design of experiments, interpretation of data and correlation of information that ultimately underpins the development of modern scientific knowledge.

FAQs on Statistical Physics

Question 1: What are applications of statistical physics

Answer: Following are a few statistical physics applications:

• The first application of statistical physics was concentrated on the distribution of molecules in an assembly. This was applied in Maxwell’s distribution of molecular velocity in physics.
• Gibbs explained thermodynamics using statistical physics.