Statistical Physics: A journey through randomness,
F. Angeletti, Postdoc research day, Stellenbosch, (2014), Abstract
Have you ever wondered why the world is so unsurprising?
At every moment of our life,we are surrounded by earth atmosphere: billions of billions of molecules moving twice as fast as a formula one car. Even if these molecules are really small,their combined energy in a 50m3 room is comparable to the energy released by the detonation of 20 kilograms of TNT. Nevertheless,spontaneous atmospheric explosions does not happen... But why? With billions of billions of particles,writing an equation for every molecule is quite inconvenient. Even if we were able to solve these equations,how could we understand these solutions?
The solution of statistical physics is to forget irrelevant details. Starting from simple principles and focusing on meaningful quantities,it is sometimes possible to obtain insightful descriptions of large physical systems. However,finding the right simple principles is an arduous and ongoing task.
In this talk,I would present some core ideas of statistical physics and their (un)practical application to everyday life problems :
- How common is spontaneous atmospheric asphyxia?
- Why should you never fly or time travel when you are lost?