Research and pedagogy in the history of quantum statistical mechanics

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13045
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 01080:Sociology of science, history of science and technology-related
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: Inaba Hajime 明治大学, 政治経済学部, 専任准教授 (00793093)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 物理学史 / 統計力学 / 分配関数 / ダーウィン / ファウラー / プランク / トルマン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Quantum statistical mechanics is a field of physics that aims to understand the properties of macroscopic matter governed by thermodynamics as statistical properties of large groups of microscopic electrons or molecules governed by quantum theory. This study aimed to understand the development process of this field from the early to mid-20th century, particularly from the perspective of the interaction between research and education. As a result, it revealed the process by which calculation methods (such as partition functions) developed at the research level were incorporated into textbooks, which in turn became a reference source for further research.

Free Research Field

科学史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究と教育の相互作用は近年の科学史で話題となるテーマであり，その相互作用が観察される場としてしばしば教科書が注目される．本研究によれば，教科書という媒体は，既存の成果を整理して論理的に分かりやすくまとめるだけのものではなく，それに続く研究者たちにとってのマニュアルとして，さらなる研究の源となる．それゆえ，研究だけでなく，教科書の執筆という教育にかかわる事柄にも，十分な意義が認められて然るべきである．本研究ではそのことを，量子統計力学の発展という事例に即して明らかにした．