Description: This article discusses fractional calculus as a macroscopic manifestation of randomness. Abstract: We generalize the method of Van Hove [Physica (Amsterdam) 21, 517 (1955)] so as to deal with the case of nonordinary statistical mechanics, that being phenomena with no time-scale separation. We show that in the case of ordinary statistical mechanics, even if the adoption of the Van Hove method imposes randomness upon Hamiltonian dynamics, the resulting statistical process is described using normal calculus techniques. On the other hand, in the case where there is no time-scale separation, this generalized version of Van Hove's method not only imposes randomness upon the microscopic dynamics, but it also transmits randomness to the macroscopic level. As a result, the correct description of macroscopic dynamics has to be expressed in terms of the fractional calculus.

Description: This article discusses the Markov approximation. Abstract: We revisit the Markov approximation necessary to derive ordinary Brownian motion from a model widely adopted in literature for this specific purpose. We show that this leads to internal inconsistencies, thereby implying that further search for a more satisfactory model is required.