statistical mechanics

See synonyms for statistical mechanics on Thesaurus.com
nounPhysics, Chemistry.(used with a singular verb)
  1. the science that deals with average properties of the molecules, atoms, or elementary particles in random motion in a system of many such particles and relates these properties to the thermodynamic and other macroscopic properties of the system.

Origin of statistical mechanics

1
First recorded in 1880–85
  • Also called statistical physics, statistical thermodynamics.

Words Nearby statistical mechanics

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for statistical mechanics

statistical mechanics

noun
  1. (functioning as singular) the study of the properties of physical systems as predicted by the statistical behaviour of their constituent particles

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for statistical mechanics

statistical mechanics

[ stə-tĭstĭ-kəl ]


  1. The branch of physics that applies statistical principles to the mechanical behavior of large numbers of small particles (such as molecules, atoms, or subatomic particles) in order to explain the overall properties of the matter composed of such particles. The kinetic theory of heat is an example of statistical mechanics; the laws of thermodynamics can all be explained using statistical mechanics. Both classical physics and quantum mechanics have been used in the development of statistical mechanical theories.Bose-Einstein statistics explains the behavior of large numbers of bosons, which are particles that can simultaneously occupy the same quantum state (such as photons in a laser beam).Fermi-Dirac statistics explains the behavior of large numbers of particles that obey the Pauli exclusion principle (such as electrons) and cannot simultaneously occupy the same quantum state.

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