Computer simulation of ergodicity and mixing in dynamical systems

This article discusses the microcomputer simulation of dynamical systems that have a few degrees of freedom but which illustrate the properties associated with ergodicity and mixing shared by more realistic many-particle systems. The models discussed are a stadium-shaped billiard table model, and a particle moving in a regular array of hard disks or two-dimensional Lennard–Jones particles. The examples show the need for a statistical description and are very useful for pedagogical purposes.