P. be the corresponding momenta.
If the system is supposed to obey the conservation of energy and to move solely under its own internal forces, the changes in the co-ordinates and momenta can be found from the Hamiltonian equations aE aE qr = 49 - 1 57., gr where q r denotes dg r ldt, &c., and E is the total energy expressed as a function of pi, qi,.
Thus after a time dt the values of the coordinates and momenta of the small group of systems under consideration will lie within a range such that pi is between pi +pidt and pi +dp,+(pi+ap?dpi) dt „ qi +gidt „ qi+dqi+ (qi +agLdgi) dt, Thus the extension of the range after the interval dt is dp i (i +aidt) dq i (I +?gidt).
Since the values of the co-ordinates and momenta at any instant during the motion may be treated as " initial " values, it is clear that the " extension " of the range must remain constant throughout the whole motion.
This result at once disposes of the possibility of all the systems acquiring any common characteristic in the course of their motion through a tendency for their co-ordinates or momenta to concentrate about any particular set, or series of sets, of values.