For the same set of coin tosses, the source also names the fully detailed description that specifies exactly which coins came up heads and which came up tails. What is this detailed description called?
AA macrostate, an overall count
BA microstate, one exact sequence
CA probability density function
DAn ensemble average value
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. A microstate, one exact sequence
1. Beyond the overall head-and-tail count, each individual sequence, such as heads-heads-tails-heads-tails, is a distinct detailed outcome.
2. The source names each such sequence a microstate, a detailed description of every element of a system.
3. A macrostate is instead the overall count without regard to order, which is the opposite level of detail, ruling out option A.
4. Probability density and ensemble average are not terms the source uses for this coin-toss discussion, ruling out options C and D.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 15 "Thermodynamics", section 15.7 Statistical Interpretation of Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: The Underlying Explanation_
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