Equation 11 · Part 1 · The Statistical Mechanics of Irreversibility at Molecular Scale
Symbol W
What this part means
W is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Its job in the formula
W is a part of this expression. Its role is fixed by the surrounding article and by the operations shown in the formula.
Full expression→Symbol W→Article meaning
The passage around this formula
In equilibrium statistical mechanics, the free-energy difference F between two control-parameter values is a state function. A rapid drive between them generally performs work W> F on average because dissipation is positive. It would seem that estimating F requires an impractically slow, quasistatic protocol. The Jarzynski equality demonstrates otherwise:
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A variable is a named place for a value. Its letter is a local label: x can mean position in one formula and a data point in another.
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Sources cited in the article section
- [2] Nonequilibrium Equality for Free Energy Differences ↗
- [3] Entropy production fluctuation theorem and the nonequilibrium work relation for free energy differences ↗
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.