SklogWiki:About

Ludwig Boltzmann's grave, with S= k log W seen at the top. (Photo: Daderot)

SklogWiki is a wiki for anyone interested in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and the computer simulation of materials. As such SklogWiki can be viewed as a collaborative inter- and hyper-linked electronic encyclopaedia that is instantly up-dateable with the latest research results. SklogWiki can also serve as an important access point to the relevant scientific literature.

SklogWiki derives its name from a concatenation of the the word Wiki and the famous equation for entropy:

$\left.S\right.=k\log W$

This equation is engraved at the top of Boltzmann's headstone at the Vienna Zentralfriedhof (click on the photo to the right to see a larger view). The symbols $\left.\right.\Theta \Delta ^{\mathrm {cs} }$ is the short-hand used by James Clerk Maxwell for the word thermodynamics .

One of the overriding philosophies of SklogWiki is the free dissemination of technical information:

"Developed countries should foster exchanges of technical information on the principle that all countries have equal rights to full access to available information. It is increasingly necessary, in order to reduce inequalities in this field, to promote co-operative arrangements for collection, retrieval, processing and diffusion of technological information through various networks, regardless of geographical or institutional frontiers."

SklogWiki is hosted by the Grupo de Termodinámica Estadística de Fluidos Moleculares of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid This initiative is partly financed by the Dirección General de Universidades e Investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid under Grant S0505/ESP/0299, program MOSSNOHO. SklogWiki was started on the 15th of February 2007 by Carl McBride.

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