La. Blumenfeld et Ay. Grosberg, GIBBS PARADOX AND THE NOTION OF CONSTRUCT ION IN THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTIC PHYSICS, Biofizika, 40(3), 1995, pp. 660-667
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.