Courses:

Statistical Physics I >> Content Detail



Study Materials



Readings

Amazon logo When you click the Amazon logo to the left of any citation and purchase the book (or other media) from Amazon.com, MIT OpenCourseWare will receive up to 10% of this purchase and any other purchases you make during that visit. This will not increase the cost of your purchase. Links provided are to the US Amazon site, but you can also support OCW through Amazon sites in other regions. Learn more.


Listed in the table below are reading assignments for each lecture session.

A and B refer to the course textbooks:

A: Amazon logo Adkins, C.J. Equilibrium Thermodynamics. New York City, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1983. ISBN: 9780521274562.

B: Amazon logo Baierlein, Ralph. Thermal Physics. New York City, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780521658386.

The rest of the readings, listed as P, TS, ME, IA, MR, and CE, are from the notes available in Study Materials.

LEC #TOPICSKEY DATES
1Introduction
Probability density, Cumulative probability
P: One Random Variable (1st half)
2Probability examples, Averages, Poisson distributionP: One Random Variable (2nd half)
3Two random variables, Conditional probabilityP: Two Random Variables (1st half)
4Poisson distribution derived, jointly Gaussian random variablesP: Two Random Variables (2nd half)
5Functions of a Random VariableP: Functions of a Random Variable (1st half)
6Functions of a Random Variable (more than one)P: Functions of a Random Variable (2nd half)
7Summation and convolutionP: Sums of Random Variables
8Central Limit TheoremP: Central Limit Theorem
9Introduction to Thermodynamics, Zeroth Law, Empirical temperatureA: Ch. 1, 2
TS: pg. 1-3
10Temperature scale, WorkA: Ch. 1, 2
11Exact differentials, First Law of ThermodynamicsA: Ch. 3.1-3.6
12Ideal gas, Adiabatic pathB: Ch. 1
13Phase space, Equal a priori probabilities
14Microcanonical Ensemble, EntropyB: Ch. 2, 4.3
ME: Sections 1-3
15Second Law of Thermodynamics, Examples using entropyB: Ch 2. 4.3
ME: Sections 4-6
16Two level systemME: Section 7
17Entropy as a state function
18Maxwell relations, Thermodynamic potentialsA: Ch. 7
MR: pg. 1-5
19Equivalent statements of the Second Law, Carnot EngineB: Ch. 3
20Refrigerator, Heat pump, Other examplesA: Ch. 4
CE: pg. 1-4
21Canonical Ensemble, Boltzmann probability, Partition functionB: Ch. 5.1-5.2
22Monoatomic ideal gas calculationB: Ch. 5.4-5.8
23B: Ch. 5.2
24Equipartition, Polyatomic gas, Vibration & quantum harmonic oscillatorB: Ch. 13
25Finish harmonic oscillator, Molecular rotationsB: Ch. 13
26Finish rotations, Maxwell distributionB: Ch. 13
27ParamagnetismB: Ch. 5.2, 14.1-14.3
28Adiabatic demagnetism, 3rd Law of Thermodynamics, Thermal radiationB: Ch. 14.4, 6
29Blackbody thermodynamics, Stephan-Boltzmann Law, Counting ModesB: Ch. 6
30Classical and quantum blackbody u (ω,T)B: Ch. 6
31Chemical potentialB: Ch. 7
32Indistinguishable particles, Symmetric vs. antisymmetricB: Ch. 8
33Occupation number, Fermi gasB: Ch. 8
34Fermi gas IIB: Ch. 9
35Neutron starB: Ch. 9
36Bose-Einstein CondensationB: Ch. 9
37Finish Bose-Einstein Condensation, SummaryB: Ch. 9
Final Exam

 








© 2010-2021 OpenCollege.com, All Rights Reserved.
Open College is a service mark of AmeriCareers LLC.