Final answer:
In statistical physics, the partition function is divided by (h³NN!) to account for indistinguishability and identical particles in the system.
Step-by-step explanation:
In statistical physics, the partition function is used to calculate thermodynamic properties of a system. It is defined as the sum of the Boltzmann factors of all possible states of the system. The division by (h³NN!) arises from the fact that each state of the system is indistinguishable and the particles are identical.
The h³ term accounts for the phase space volume of a single quantum state, where h is the Planck constant. The NN! term accounts for the fact that there are N identical particles in the system, and the order of their arrangement does not matter.
By dividing the partition function by (h³NN!), we ensure that each quantum state is counted only once and avoid overcounting in the calculation of thermodynamic properties.