microstates

/ˈmaɪkroʊˌsteɪts/
noun
  1. Plural of microstate: very small independent countries.
    • Tourists often visit multiple microstates in a single trip because they are so close together.
    • The United Nations gives each of its member microstates an equal vote in the General Assembly.
    • Europe has several microstates, including San Marino, Liechtenstein, and Andorra.
  2. Plural of microstate: multiple possible arrangements of particles in a physical system.
    • The number of microstates increases dramatically as the temperature of the gas rises.
    • Physicists use computers to simulate all the microstates of a complex molecule.
    • Understanding microstates is key to predicting how a material will behave under pressure.