GIBBS PARADOX AND THE NOTION OF CONSTRUCT ION IN THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTIC PHYSICS

Gibbs' paradox, i.e., jump-like increase of the entropy of mixing caus ed by the appearance of infinitesimal difference between particles is connected with the incompleteness of description of the system's macro state as well as with the demand of the process reversibility. System description must include whole construction of a system, i.e., the who le sum total of its structure elements which do not change in the time scale under consideration. When discussing Gibbs' paradox it is usual ly tacitly assumed that simultaneously with infinitesimal difference t here appears one more constructional element - infinitely effective di scriminating device. In the case of complete description all changes b ecome smooth and paradox is absent. The notion of construction is esse ntially important in the thermodynamics and kinetics of complex biolog ical systems.