The discussion revolves around the concept of density of states in the context of continuous energy levels, particularly how this concept relates to quantum mechanics and the transition from discrete to continuous energy states. Participants explore the implications of dealing with large numbers of particles and the approximation of energy levels.
Participants express differing views on the nature of energy states in quantum mechanics and the validity of approximating discrete energy levels as continuous. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the definitions and implications of these concepts.
There are limitations in the assumptions made about the relationship between particle number, volume, and energy levels, as well as the definitions of quantum mechanics and its terminology. These aspects remain open for further exploration.
This discussion may be of interest to those studying quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, or anyone exploring the implications of density of states in physical systems with large particle numbers.
atyy said:If one us dealing with lots of particles in large volumes, the energy levels are usually close to each other compared to your experimental resolution, and it's usually ok to approximate the discrete energy levels by a continuum.
This is actually not true that quantum mechanics deals only with discrete energies. "Quantum mechanics" is in fact a misnomer, used only for historical reasons. Perhaps a better name would be "wave mechanics" (which is rarely used), or even better "uncertainty mechanics" (which is not used at all).Shan K said:As the term energy state comes from quantum mechanics which deals with discrete energies.