Boltzmann's H-theorem, its discontents, and the birth of statistical mechanics

DOI10.1016/J.SHPSB.2009.03.003MaRDI QIDQ652785zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Jos Uffink, Harvey R. Brown, Wayne C. Myrvold

Publication date 17 December 2011

Published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. Part B. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0809.1304

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

History of mathematics in the 19th century (01A55) History of statistical mechanics (82-03) Foundations of time-dependent statistical mechanics (82C03)

Abstract: A comparison is made of the traditional Loschmidt (reversibility) and Zermelo (recurrence) objections to Boltzmann's H-theorem, and its simplified variant in the Ehrenfests' 1912 wind-tree model. The little-cited 1896 (pre-recurrence) objection of Zermelo (similar to an 1889 argument due to Poincare) is also analysed. Significant differences between the objections are highlighted, and several old and modern misconceptions concerning both them and the H-theorem are clarified. We give particular emphasis to the radical nature of Poincare's and Zermelo's attack, and the importance of the shift in Boltzmann's thinking in response to the objections as a whole.

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