01
Microstates and Macrostates
A macrostate specifies bulk properties such as temperature, pressure, and volume. Many microscopic configurations can correspond to the same macrostate.
02
Entropy
S = k_B ln Ω
Boltzmann's relation connects entropy with the number of accessible microscopic configurations under the relevant assumptions.
03
Partition Function
Z = Σ_i e^{-βE_i}The partition function encodes equilibrium statistical information and can be used to derive thermodynamic quantities.