Thermal Physics

By Ralph Baierlein

Book Overview

Clear and reader-friendly, this is an ideal textbook for students seeking an introduction to thermal physics. Written by an experienced teacher and extensively class-tested, Thermal Physics provides a comprehensive grounding in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and kinetic theory. A key feature of this text is its readily accessible introductory chapters, which begin with a review of fundamental ideas. Entropy, conceived microscopically and statistically, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics are introduced early in the book. Throughout, topics are built on a conceptual foundation of four linked elements: entropy and the Second Law, the canonical probability distribution, the partition function, and the chemical potential. As well as providing a solid preparation in the basics of the subject, the text goes on to explain exciting recent developments such as Bose-Einstein condensation and critical phenomena. Key equations are highlighted throughout, and each chapter contains a summary of essential ideas and an extensive set of problems of varying degrees of difficulty. A free solutions manual is available for instructors (ISBN 0521 658608). Thermal Physics is suitable for both undergraduates and graduates in physics and astronomy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521658381
• ISBN13: 9780521658386
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 460 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.7" x 9.6"