The book represents lectures given by G.A. Lorenz in 1912 College de France. It can be considered an accessible and in-depth introduction to statistical mechanics. Issues of justification of thermodynamics, the theory of Brownian motion and canonical ensembles are also discussed. Useful for undergraduate and graduate students of physics, engineers, specialists.

ContentsUse the arrow to expand or collapse this sectionА. Einstein. Review of the book by G.A. Lorentz “Statistical theories in thermodynamics”. A. Einstein. G.A. Lorenz as a creator and a person. Editor's Foreword. Author's Foreword. Lecture one.1. Classical thermodynamics. Molecular theories.2. The concept of probability.3. Boltzmann formula.4. Definition of probability.5. Example of a monatomic ideal gas.6. Notes on the “insensitivity” of Boltzmann’s formula.7, 8 Application of the formula to an arbitrary body.Lecture two.9. Entropy of a gas of molecules of finite sizes.10, 11, 12 New notes on the insensitivity of the Boltzmann formula.13. Notes on the definition of probability and entropy.14. Comparison of a system in two states with unequal energy.15. Notes on the Uniform Probability Hypothesis.16. Ideal gas in motion.17. Continuation of remarks on uniform probability.18. Second definition of probability.19. On the evolution of the system.20, 21, 22. Comparison of two definitions of probability. Lecture three.23, 24, 25. Comparison of the canonical collection methods with the microcanonical method.26, 27. Fluctuations in statistical phenomena.28. Fluctuations in the emission of L-particles.29. On energy fluctuations.30, 31. Scattering of light. Lecture four.32, 33. Movement of a suspended particle.34. Proportionality of resistance and mean square of impulse. Generalized Brownian motion.35. Brownian motion in a highly rarefied gas.36. Application of the statistical method to radiation phenomena.37. Fluctuations in black radiation. Lecture five.38. Planck's formula for black radiation.39. Vibrator energy in a black radiation field.40. Generalization of the previous result.41. Remarks on the theory of heat capacities.42. The theory of fluctuations and energy quanta.43. Fluctuations in energy transfer.44. About energy quanta in matter and ether.45. A note on the comparative importance of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. Author's notes. The volume of a sphere in a space of n dimensions. About a gas in motion. About the formula v2 u003d (n1 n2)/n. The electromagnetic field caused in a homogeneous isotropic dielectric by given electromotive forces. The theory of fluctuations. About Brownian motion. About the energy of a system in the field of black radiation. About the theory of heat capacities. Calculation of fluctuations of black radiation depending on interference. Editor's additions. About the insensitivity of Boltzmann's formula. About the canonical collection of Gibbs. About systems with a variable number of particles. About fluctuations in the number of particles. To note V. To paragraph 7. About Brownian motion.