Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics

Solutions, Chapter 2
2.16 The number of ways to pick 500 heads and 500 tails is the number of ways
to pick 500 heads flipping 1000 coins, that is


1000!
1000
(1000, 500) =
=
500
500! 500!

Using Stirling approximation (N ! ' N N eN 2N ) we write

1000
1000 1000
2500 1000
21000
21000
21000 500
2 2500
1000!
e
e
e
'
=
=
2 = 
2

1000

500
2
500! 500!
500 500
500 500
(2500)
2500
2500
e
e
e
21000
=
500
The total number of possible outcomes is
2(number-of-flips) = 21000
then the probability to pick 500 heads and 500 tail is the number of ways
to get this particular outcome divided by the total number of outcomes,
that is (a)
P500 heads and 500 tails =

(1000, 500)
1
' 0.02523
'
1000
2
500

The probability of getting 600 heads and 400 tails is



(1000, 600)
1
1000!
1000
P600 heads and 400 tails =
'
=
= 1000
1000
600
2
2
600! 400!
(using stirling approximation)

1000 1000
21000
1
1
e
' 1000
= 1000

600 600 400 400
2
2
2600 2400
e

1
21000

10 600 600 600 10 400 400 400
1000
6
e
4
e




600 600 400 400
2600 400
e
e

1000 600 1000 400
1000
e
e




600 600 400 400
2600 400
e
e

r
10 600 10 400
1000
6
4
2600 2400
2600 400


=

400 r

200 
400 
400 r
10
1000
10
10
10
1000
=
=
24
2600 400
26
26
24
2600 400
200 
400 r

10 10
1000
10
=
=
26
2264
2600 400

200 
200 
200 r
1000
10
10 10
10 10
=
=
26
2264
2264
2600 400

200 r
1000
10
10 10
10 10
=

=
26 2264 2264
2600 400

200 r
1000
100000
=
110592
4800000

10
26

600 

100000
110592

that should be really small ( 1) since

2.17
(N, q) =

< 1.

(q + N 1)!
q!(N 1)!

Since both N and q are large

(N, q) '

(q + N )!
q!N !

Taking the logarithm

ln (N, q) ' ln(q + N )! ln q! ln N !
Using Stirling approximation (eq. 2.16)
ln (N, q) ' (q+N ) ln(q+N )qN q ln q+qN ln N +N = (q+N ) ln(q+N )q ln qN ln N
Considering that q  N , and then q/N  1
ln(N + q) = ln N (1 + q/N ) = ln N + ln(1 + q/N ) ' ln N + q/N
then
ln (N, q) ' q ln N + N ln N +

q2
+ q q ln q N ln N =
N

= q ln N/q +
And we can neglect the term

q2
N,

(N, q) ' e

q2
+q
N

so the multiplicity (N, q) is

q ln N/q+q


=

Ne
q

q

2.18 Since n! = n(n 1)!,

=

p
N 2(q + N )((q + N )/e)q+N
N (q + N )!

'
.
q + N q!N !
(q + N )2 qN (q/e)q (N/e)N

This simplifies to the expression given.

2.19 The multiplicity of a two-state paramagnet is given by (equation (2.7))
(N ) =

N!
.
N !(N N )!

Applying Stirrings approximation:

log() N log(N ) N N log(N ) + N (N N ) log(N ) + (N N )


N
)
= N log(N ) N log(N ) (N N ) log N (1
N


N
) .
= N log(N ) N log(N ) (N N ) log(N ) + log(1
N
Since N  N , we can

expand the last logarithm in a Taylor series
log(1 + x) = x + O(x2 ) yielding


N
log() N log(N ) N log(N ) (N N ) log(N )
N




N
N
N
= N log
N log
+ (N N )
+ N .
N
N
N
 2
In the last approximation we have again discarded a term of order NN .
Now we can exponentiate to find the requested multiplicity
N

(N e/N )

2.31 Starting from (eq. 2.40)

N '

3N
1 V N 3N/2 
2mU
N ! h3N (3N/2)!

S/k = ln N = ln N !+N ln V 3N ln h+

3N
3N
ln ln(3N/2)!+
ln(2mU ) '
2
2

Using Stirling Approximation

' N ln N +N +N ln V 3N ln h+
= N ln N +N +N ln V

3N
3N
ln (3N/2) ln(3N/2)+(3N/2)+
ln(2mU ) =
2
2

3N
3N
3N
ln h2 +
ln (3N/2) ln(3N/2)+(3N/2)+
ln(2mU ) =
2
2
2
3


3N
4mU
+N +
=
3N h2
2




5
3
4mU
+
= N ln V /N + ln
=
2
3N h2
2
!
!
3/2
3/2 !


5
4mU
V 4mU
5
+
ln V /N + ln
= N ln
+
3N h2
2
N 3N h2
2
= N ln V /N +

=N

3N
ln
2

Then
S = N k ln

V
N

4mU
3N h2

3/2 !

5
+
2