statistical physics

Statistical mechanics is a branch of physics that applies statistical principles to the mechanics of systems with a large number of components. It combines statistics with classical and quantum mechanics, particularly in relation to thermodynamics. The goal is to predict and explain the macroscopic properties of systems based on the behavior of their microscopic constituents. For instance, it interprets thermal energy as the energy of disordered atomic particles and temperature as a measure of how energy is shared among them. Statistical mechanics relies on probability to focus on the average behavior of numerous particles rather than individual ones. Key figures in its development include Josiah Willard Gibbs, James Clerk Maxwell, and Ludwig Boltzmann.1