3 Thermodynamic State Variables and State Equations 8 3.1 State Variables and Equilibrium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1.1 Exhaustive set of state variables? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3.1.2 Are state variables de ned only in equilibrium? . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.1.3 Concept of local equilibrium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3.1.4 C...

An investigation is made into how the foundations of statistical mechanics are affected once we treat classical mechanics as an approximation to quantum mechanics in certain domains rather than as a theory in its own right; this is necessary if we are to understand statistical-mechanical systems in our own world. Relevant structural and dynamical differences are identified between classical and...

We attempt a unification between the Quantum and the Statistical Mechanics of a single spinless particle. We consider a five dimensional (5D) space-time with no matter. We postulate that all physical information on single particle propagation is given by statistics on null paths in this space-time. If the 5D metric doesn’t depend on the fifth space-like coordinate, then the propagation problem ...