*Statistical physics* (or *statistical mechanics*) is a branch of [[classical physics]] that describes macroscopic effects such as temperature using statistical properties of microscopic particles. It is closely related to [[Thermodynamics|thermodynamics]]: while thermodynamics uses quantities like pressure and temperature as input parameters, statistical mechanics relates them to the underlying microscopic constituents. A good example is the temperature of a gas. In thermodynamics, the temperature of the gas is an input parameters that influences its volume or its pressure in a confined space. In statistical mechanics, however, the temperature of a gas is described using the velocity distribution of the gas atoms. Thus, temperature is a result of other input quantities instead of an input itself. >[!read]- Further Reading >- [[Thermodynamics]] >- [[Classical Physics]] >[!ref]- References