Temperature is not the average kinetic energy of atoms.

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In classical mechanics, temperature is described by a probability distribution over moving states. In quantum mechanics, temperature is a sum over states that are not moving themselves. This difference is relevant for the Boltzmann-Brains problem, where we consider the intrinsic behavior of the system.

Welcome to the September 2023 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy!

Blog post with questions and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2023/09/04/ama-september-2023/

And you can now pre-order The Biggest Ideas in the Universe Vol. 2: Quanta and Fields!

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