statistical mechanics
nounA way scientists use math and probability to understand how lots of tiny particles behave together.
Using statistical mechanics, physicists can predict how a gas will heat up even though they cannot track every single molecule.
SYNONYMS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A branch of physics that connects the tiny behavior of atoms to the large-scale properties of materials.
Statistical mechanics explains why water boils at a certain temperature by looking at how molecules move.
3. The mathematical framework for predicting average outcomes in systems with enormous numbers of particles.
The course covered statistical mechanics as a tool for averaging over countless microscopic states.
4. A theory used in chemistry and materials science to model how energy spreads among molecules.
Researchers applied statistical mechanics to study how proteins fold.