Thermodynamic limit

Limit of a constant-density system of particles as its volume increases

In statistical mechanics, the thermodynamic limit or macroscopic limit, of a system is the limit for a large number N of particles (e.g., atoms or molecules) where the volume V is taken to grow in proportion with the number of particles. The thermodynamic limit is defined as the limit of a system with a large volume, with the particle density held fixed: N → ∞ , V → ∞ , N V = constant {\displaystyle N\to \infty ,\,V\to \infty ,\,{\frac {N}{V}}={\text{constant}}} In this limit, macroscopic thermodynamics is valid. There, thermal fluctuations in global quantities are negligible, and all thermodynamic quantities, such as pressure and energy, are simply functions of the thermodynamic variables, such as temperature and density.

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