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Boltzmann's Entropy Formula

Description

In statistical mechanics, Boltzmann’s equation is a probability equation relating the entropy S of an ideal gas to the quantity W, which is the number of microstates corresponding to a given macrostate.

In short, the Boltzmann formula shows the relationship between entropy and the number of ways the atoms or molecules of a thermodynamic system can be arranged. In 1934, Swiss physical chemist Werner Kuhn successfully derived a thermal equation of state for rubber molecules using Boltzmann’s formula, which has since come to be known as the entropy model of rubber.

Related formulas

Variables

Sentropy of an ideal gas (J/K)
kBBoltzmann constant
Wquantity W, which is the number of microstates corresponding to a given macrostate (dimensionless)