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If a physical tension $f$ acts on a state of extension $l_i$, its mechanical energy is $-f{l}_i$. The canonical ensemble therefore assigns that state the Boltzmann factorComparison with the statistical weight $e^{\tau l_i}$ givesEquivalently, $f$ is the thermodynamic conjugate variable to $L$ in the Gibbs free energy, just as pressure is conjugate to volume.