Ergodic hypothesis

The ergodic hypothesis is a concept in statistical mechanics suggesting that, over a long enough period, a system's behavior averages out so that the time spent in each state equals the average over all possible states. In practical terms, it means that observing a single system over time provides the same information as observing many identical systems at once. This idea helps scientists predict the properties of systems like gases or liquids without needing to analyze every possible scenario separately. It underpins the connection between microscopic behavior and macroscopic properties in physical systems.