PHY3703 Assignment 2 solutions 2026

PHY3703 Assignment 2 solutions 2026
UNISA
ALL ANSWERS ARE VERIFIED AND ANSWERED BEST CLEARLY, STEP BY STEP ALL
CALCULATIONS ARE SHOWN TOO

Dear Student , type or hand write this is allowed and
I’m your private tutor iQ Level
PHY3703 consists of three (3) Formative Assessments, which must be submitted not later
than the due date provided on myUnisa.
All the assessment questions come from the prescribed textbook: Harvey Gould and Jan
Tobochnik, Statistical and Thermal Physics with computer applications, 2010, Princeton
University Press, Princeton, ISBN 9780691137445. Since this book will be used for
assignments, you should source it from local bookstores or online as soon as possible.


The problems which Assessment 2 Assessment 3
you must work on are
indicated in the table
below: Assessment 1

1.5 3.20 5.16

1.10 3.37 5.26

2.4 4.10 6.1

2.30 4.21 6.3

, Problem 3.20 – Uncertainty

The “uncertainty” 𝑆here is given by the formula:

𝑆 = −∑𝑝𝑖 ln⁡ 𝑝𝑖


(where ln⁡is the natural logarithm)


𝟏
(a) Equal probabilities: 𝑷𝟏 = 𝑷𝟐 = 𝟐

Write the formula

𝑆 = −(𝑝1 ln⁡ 𝑝1 + 𝑝2 ln⁡ 𝑝2 )


Substitute values
1 1 1 1
𝑆 = − ( ln⁡ + ln⁡ )
2 2 2 2


Simplify
1 1
𝑆 = − (2 × ln⁡ )
2 2
1
𝑆 = −ln⁡
2
Use log rule
1
ln⁡ = −ln⁡ 2
2


So:

𝑆 = ln⁡ 2
𝟏 𝟒
(b) Unequal probabilities: 𝑷𝟏 = 𝟓 , 𝑷𝟐 = 𝟓

Apply formula