Question

 

Discuss the concept of thermodynamic fluctuations in the canonical ensemble. Define energy fluctuations and derive an expression for the mean square fluctuation of energy. Using a classical ideal gas, show that the relative fluctuation in energy varies as equation and hence, justify why thermodynamic calculations are valid for ordinary macroscopic systems.

19 Jan 2026
Answer :
Word Count : 364
In the canonical ensemble, a system is in thermal equilibrium with a heat reservoir at a fixed temperature (T). The probability (P_i) of the system being in a microstate (i) with energy (E_i) is given by the Boltzmann distribution: [ P_i = \frac{e^{-E_i/k_B T}}{Z} ] where (Z = \sum_i e^{-E_i/k_B T}) is the canonical partition function and (k_B) is the Boltzmann constant. In this ensemble, thermodynamic quantities fluctuate because the system can exchange energy with the reservoir. The energy fluctuation is characterized by the variance of the energy: [ \langle (\Delta E)^2 \rangle = \langle E^2 \rangle -
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