Thermodynamics 5d - Statistical Mechanics IV
Channel: ViaScience
Date: 2020-03-16

Previously we worked through some fundamental results of statistical mechanics. We are now in a position to derive the formula for the absolute entropy of an ideal monatomic gas. We find that our first attempt is plagued by the so-called Gibbs Paradox. Revisiting our fundamental statistical assumptions, we modify our entropy expression to resolve this paradox. The result is the Sackur-Tetrode equation, one of the most elegant results in statistical mechanics.