Phase Space (again)
Return to the complete picture of phase space
- full specification of microstate of the system is given by the values of all positions and all momenta of all atoms
- view positions and momenta as completely independent coordinates
- connection between them comes only through equation of motion
Motion through phase space
- helpful to think of dynamics as “simple” movement through the high-dimensional phase space
- facilitate connection to quantum mechanics
- basis for theoretical treatments of dynamics
- understanding of integrators