Thermodynamics Textbook Dark Joke

ONE THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL MECHANICS 1.1 INTRODUCTION: THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL MECHANICS OF THE PERFECT GAS Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical mechanics. Perhaps it will be wise to approach the subject cautiously. We will begin by considering the simplest meaningful example, the perfect gas, in order to get the central concepts sorted out. In Chap. 2 we will return to complete the solution of that problem, and the results will provide the foundation of much of the rest of the book. The quantum mechanical solution for the energy levels of a particle in a box (with periodic boundary conditions) is:

На странице учебника по термодинамике и статистической механике выделен фрагмент о Людвиге Больцмане и Пауле Эренфесте, которые оба покончили с собой. Шутка в мрачной формулировке: читателю предлагают осторожно изучать статистическую механику, потому что судьба её известных исследователей выглядит как зловещая инструкция для следующего студента. EN: A thermodynamics and statistical mechanics textbook page highlights a passage about Ludwig Boltzmann and Paul Ehrenfest, both of whom died by suicide. The joke comes from the grim wording: the reader is advised to approach statistical mechanics cautiously because the fate of its famous researchers sounds like a sinister warning to the next student.

• @gentoomemes / 6211 2023-09-05