1.

Record Nr.

UNISALENTO991003813009707536

Autore

Ruhla, Charles

Titolo

The physics of chance : from Blaise Pascal to Niels Bohr / Charles Ruhla ; translated from the French by G. Barton

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1992

Titolo uniforme

Physique du hasard. English 1752525

ISBN

9780198539605 (hbk.)

9780198539773 (pbk.)

Descrizione fisica

xi, 222 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm

Classificazione

LC QC174.8

Disciplina

813/.54

Soggetti

Statistical physics

Games of chance (Mathematics)

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]) and index

Nota di contenuto

1. The children of Democritus (prediction in science). 1.1. Prediction = science. 1.2. Model = scientific knowledge. 1.3. Prediction in science. 1.4. The hybrid case. 1.5. The limits of classical determinism -- 2. The laws of chance (the theory of probability). 2.1. The experimental roots of the notion of probability. 2.2. Random and pseudo-random phenomena. 2.3. Total and joint probabilities. 2.4. The binomial distribution. 2.5. The Poisson distribution. 2.6. The Gaussian (or normal) distribution -- 3. Gaussian deviations (the theory of physical measurements). 3.1. The central limit theorem. 3.2. Reproducibility, bias, and sensitivity. 3.3. The measurement of a continuous variable. 3.4. The measurement of a discontinuous variable. 3.5. The smoothing of experimental data. 3.6. Relations transformed. 3.7. Conclusions -- 4. Maxwell, or probabilities as a matter of ignorance. 4.1. The model for a perfect gas. 4.2. The probabilistic assumptions introduced by Maxwell. 4.3. Pressure and temperature. 4.4. The velocity distribution. 4.5. The theory tested by experiment. 4.6. Simulating a perfect gas. 4.7. Assessment of the model -- 5. Boltzmann, or probabilities as a matter of conviction (statistical physics). 5.1. Irreversible adiabatic expansion. 5.2. A model for irreversible adiabatic expansion. 5.3. Phase space. 5.4. The Boltzmann distribution. 5.5