Problem58
Section 15.7: Statistical Interpretation of Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: The Underlying Explanation

Question

What percent of the time will you get something in the range from 60 heads and 40 tails through 40 heads and 60 tails when tossing 100 coins? The total number of microstates in that range is . (Consult Table 15.4.)

Table 15.4 The number of microstates for different macrostates when flipping 100 coins.
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Final Answer

96.1%

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Video Transcript

This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. When tossing a hundred coins, there are a total of 1.27 times 10 to the 30 possible microstates and that's what table [15.4] tells us. The number of microstates that satisfy our criteria is 1.22 times 10 to the 30 and dividing these two multiply by 100 percent gives 96.1 percent. So this is a probability that you will get somewhere between 60 heads and 40 tails to 40 heads and 60 tails.

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