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Assignment 1

Statistical Thermodynamics (Cornell University)

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AEP/PHYS 4230 - STATISTICAL THERMODYNAMICS

Assignment #1 September 6, 2018

Due 5:00 PM September 16, 2018 – This Monday due date is for this week only

(submit via the AEP/Phys 4230 Homework slot close to Clark 244)

Note: In doing the homework, discussion and collaboration with your classmates is permitted,
and encouraged. However, to not violate Cornell University’s Code of Academic Integrity, what
you hand in must be the result of your own understanding and your own work, and not be the
result of either a collective effort or the work of someone else entirely.

Reading:
Blundell and Blundell, Chapters 1-4
(Supplement/Alternative) Schroeder Chapter 2, and/or Kittel and Kroemer. Chapters 1 & 2

Problem 1. When the probability of an event occurring upon a trial or attempt is much less than
1 the binominal probability distribution can be accurately approximated by the Poisson
distribution if the number of trials N is sufficiently large.
(a) Starting with the expression for the binominal distribution P(N,n), show that when p <<1
the probability function for the number of events n is given by Poisson’s result, that is:
𝑁! (𝑁𝑝)+ .-1
𝑃(𝑁, 𝑛) = 𝑝+ (1 − 𝑝)(-.+) → 𝑃(𝑁, 𝑛) = 𝑒
(𝑁 − 𝑛)! 𝑛! 𝑛!
(b) Making use of the fact that the Poisson distribution 𝑃(𝑁, 𝑛) becomes negligibly small for
n → N, that is that the probability of a large number of events is effectively zero, show
4 𝑃(𝑁, 𝑛 ) ≈ ∑4 𝑃(𝑁, 𝑛 ) = 1.
that ∑- 6

(c) Show that the mean value of the Poisson distribution is:
6

7 𝑛𝑃(𝑁, 𝑛) = 𝑁𝑝
4

As mentioned by Blundell in Problem 3.3, the Poisson distribution describes rare events
whose probability, or average rate, does not change in time. For example, it describes
radioactive decay, and, if the conditions of a constant average rate hold, such events as traffic
accidents, birth defects, the number of phishing emails received per day, etc.

Problem 2. Two “random walkers” able to move only left or right start out at the same position,
x= 0, each having equal probability of making a step to the left or right along the x axis. The
direction of the step of one walker is independent of that of the other, but they take their steps
simultaneously. What is the probability that after N steps they are both at the same position x?
(Hint: it is perhaps easiest to consider the relative motion of the walkers.)

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Problem 3. Consider a system consisting of a collection of N identical binary components where

each component can be either in energy state -D, or +D with equal probability.

(a) If the total energy U of the system is fixed at U = 0 how many different microstates
are “accessible” to the system?
(b) If N = 1023, and the system changes its microstate a billion times a second, what
fraction of the different accessible microstates will the system have been in over 10
billion years, which is very roughly the age of the universe?
(c) If the energy of the system is not fixed, it is possible for the number of components
that are in the positive energy state, N+ to vary from 0 to N. What is the most probable
value of N+? Assuming N >> 1, use Stirling’s approximation to estimate the height of
the peak of the multiplicity function that is centered about this point.
(d) Derive an approximate function for the multiplicity function near the peak in terms of
𝑥 ≡ 𝑁: − 𝑁/2. If N = 1010, what is the probability of finding the system in a microstate
where N+ = 5.0001 x 109?

Problem 4. A system consists of N components, which can have either energy 0 or D.

(a) If the system has total energy U = nD where n is an integer, what is the multiplicity
Ω(𝑈) of the microstates.

(b) If a small amount of energy e = xD, where x << n, is removed from the system, show
that
𝑛@
Ω(𝑈 − 𝜖 ) ≈ Ω(𝑈)
(𝑁 − 𝑛 ) @

(c) Show that the temperature T of the system is given by

1 1 𝑁−𝑛
= 𝑙𝑛 F G
𝑘B 𝑇 Δ 𝑛

(d) Sketch 𝑘B 𝑇 as a function of n from n= 0 to n = N.

Note the unusual behavior of the temperature of the system as more energy is added
above a certain level. This is unique to systems, such as this binary component case,
where the number of accessible microstates does not increase with energy and thus
only a fixed maximum amount of energy can be added. This is not the common
situation but it is an important one.

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