Resumen de Give Them Money: The Boltzmann Game, a Classroom or Laboratory Activity Modeling Entropy Changes and the Distribution of Energy in Chemical Systems

Bridget Michalek, Robert M. Hanson

• Described here is a short, simple activity we call the "Boltzmann game" that can be used in any high school or college chemistry classroom or lab to explore the way energy is distributed in real chemical systems and as an entry into discussions of the probabilistic nature of entropy. All that is needed is about 30 minutes, some open space, some paper money, and a group of students who know how to play (or can be taught quickly) the game "rock–paper–scissors." The relationships among probability, energy distribution, microstates, equilibrium, fluctuation, chemical reaction, and entropy as a measure of the "dispersal" of energy are discussed in the context of this activity.