2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/139572We link the thermodynamics of colloidal suspensions to the statistics of regular and random packings. Random close packing has defied a rigorous definition yet, in three dimensions, there is near universal agreement on the volume fraction at which it occurs. We conjecture that the common value of phi_rcp, approximately 0.64, arises from a divergence in the rate at which accessible states disappear. We relate this rate to the equation of state for a hard sphere fluid on a metastable, non-crystalline branch.4 pages, 1 figure, formerly entitled "Universality of Random Close Packing?"Statistical MechanicsSoft Condensed Mattertext