Chen: Phase Transition

„One of the most fundamental characteristics of a phase transition is its order, i.e., whether the macroscopic quantity it affects changes continuously or discontinuously at the transition point. Continuous transitions are called ’second-order‘ and include many magnetization phenomena, whereas discontinuous transitions are called ‚first-order,‘ an example of which is the discontinuous drop in entropy when liquid water turns into solid ice at zero degrees.“ (p. 3) #Chen #PhaseTransition

Chen, Wei, Explosive Percolation in Random Networks. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer 2014. 63 S.