Topic Details (Notes format)

Microstates and Macrostates

Subject: Chemistry

Book: General Chemistry

In statistical thermodynamics, a macrostate describes the overall state (e.g., total energy, volume), while microstates are the specific configurations of particles. The number of microstates (W) accessible to a system is related to its entropy (S = k_B ln W). Understanding microstates explains why entropy increases with temperature, volume expansion, or mixing, linking microscopic behavior to macroscopic thermodynamic laws.

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