Page:Elementary Principles in Statistical Mechanics (1902).djvu/161

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MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM PROPERTIES.
137

But since

and
(450)
This proves (448), and shows that the sign will hold only when
for all phases, i. e., only when the distribution in phase of the original ensembles are all identical.

Theorem IX. A uniform distribution of a given number of systems within given limits of phase gives a less average index of probability of phase than any other distribution.

Let be the constant index of the uniform distribution, and the index of some other distribution. Since the number of systems within the given limits is the same in the two distributions we have

(451)
where the integrations, like those which follow, are to be taken within the given limits. The proposition to be proved may be written
(452)
or, since is constant,
(453)
In (451) also we may cancel the constant factor , and multiply by the constant factor . This gives
The subtraction of this equation will not alter the inequality to be proved, which may therefore be written