Exact calculation of the number of degrees of freedom of a rigid body composed of <span style="font-style:italic">n </span>particles

Authors

  • J. Bernal
  • R. Flowers-Cano
  • A. Carbajal-Dominguez

Keywords:

Degrees of freedom, rigid body, ideal gas, heat capacity

Abstract

In this work we correct a calculation made by Albert Einstein that appears in his book titled The Meaning of Relativity (Princeton, 1953), and by means of which he tries to obtain the number of degrees of freedom of a system composed of n particles with fixed relative distances and which are immersed in a three-dimensional space. As a result of our analysis, we develop expressions which yield the number of degrees of freedom of an analogous system, not only in three, but in any arbitrary number D of dimensions.

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Published

2009-01-01

How to Cite

[1]
J. Bernal, R. Flowers-Cano, and A. Carbajal-Dominguez, “Exact calculation of the number of degrees of freedom of a rigid body composed of <span style=‘font-style:italic’>n </span>particles”, Rev. Mex. Fis. E, vol. 55, no. 2 Jul-Dec, pp. 191–195, Jan. 2009.

Issue

Vol. 55 No. 2 Jul-Dec (2009): Revista Mexicana de Física E

Section

Artículos

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