## degeneracy [ENDORSED]

Phi Phi Do 2E
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:05 am

### degeneracy

Can someone please explain more about the concept of degeneracy and how that relates to entropy?

Victoria Draper 1G
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:05 am
Been upvoted: 1 time

### Re: degeneracy

Degeneracy is the number of different ways energy can exist. Degeneracy and entropy are directly related and therefore the higher the entropy the more number of ways energy can exist which means a higher degeneracy.

Miranda 1J
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:06 am

### Re: degeneracy

Degeneracy is basically the number of different ways energy can exist and the higher the entropy then the more the ways that energy can exist (proportional).

Julian Krzysiak 2K
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:07 am

### Re: degeneracy

Degeneracy is the total number of ways of achieving a given energy state.

In the dogbone example Dr. Lavelle showed us, we could could calculate W with the info given by $W_{N}=2^{N}$. N is the number of particles, molecules, etc., while the 2 was the number of equivalent states. So if there was 1 particle w/ 2 equivalent states, $W_{1}=2$, as 1 particle can only have 2 possible positions here.
But with the 4 dogbones, we were given 2 particles w/ 2 equivalent states, $W_{2}=4$, because the particles could be in positions A--B, B--A, AB--, --AB.

They are related directly via the Boltzman Equation, $S=K_{B}lnW$
As the degeneracy increases, entropy will also increase.

504754253
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Jun 23, 2017 11:39 am

### Re: degeneracy

it is the number in ways energy can exist... the more entropy the more energy

Glendy Gonzalez 1A
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:07 am

### Re: degeneracy

Degeneracy refers to the number of ways of obtaining a certain energy state. Degeneracy and entropy are inverses of each other. That is, the higher the degeneracy, the lower the entropy.

Belle Calforda3f
Posts: 67
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:07 am

### Re: degeneracy

The higher the degeneracy, the higher the entropy.

AnuPanneerselvam1H
Posts: 52
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:07 am

### Re: degeneracy  [ENDORSED]

Degeneracy is the number of ways of achieving a given energy state. An example given in class was that a quarter has a degeneracy of 2 since it can either land on heads or tails. The higher the entropy, the higher amount of possible energy states.