Two coins are tossed randomly onto a table. The macrostate is defined as the number of heads showing, which can be 0, 1, or 2. A microstate is a specification of the outcome of each individual coin. What value for the number of heads has the greatest number of possible microstates?
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When one coin shows heads, there are two possible microstates (H, T) and (T, H). When no coins show heads, there is only one possible microstate (T, T). When both coins show heads, there is also only one possible microstate (H, H). Therefore, the macrostate of 1 head has the greatest number of possible microstates, which is 2.

Two Coins Are Tossed Randomly onto a Table