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Equation 7 · Part 8 · The Statistical Mechanics of Irreversibility at Molecular Scale

fraction

Δstot[Γ]=kBln⁡PF[Γ]PR[Γ†].\Delta s_{\mathrm{tot}}[\Gamma] = k_{\mathrm B}\ln \frac{\mathcal P_{\mathrm F}[\Gamma]} {\mathcal P_{\mathrm R}[\Gamma^\dagger]}.
fraction

What this part means

Divide the expression above the line by the one below it.

Its job in the formula

The expression above the fraction bar is divided by the complete expression below it. The denominator must not be zero.

The passage around this formula

Under broad conditions, total stochastic entropy production can be represented as a log-likelihood ratio, Δstot[Γ]=kBln⁡PF[Γ]PR[Γ†]\Delta s_{\mathrm{tot}}[\Gamma] = k_{\mathrm B}\ln \frac{\mathcal P_{\mathrm F}[\Gamma]} {\mathcal P_{\mathrm R}[\Gamma^\dagger]}. This equation supplies a precise meaning for the arrow of time. If a path is far more probable under the forward process than its conjugate is under the reverse process, observing it provides evidence about temporal direction. If the probabilities are equal, the path itself carries no arrow-of-time information. Irreversibility is therefore related to statistical distinguishability, not to an absolute prohibition on reverse-looking motion.

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Learn the underlying idea

A fraction a/b means a divided by b. The top number is the numerator; the bottom number is the denominator, and it cannot be zero.

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