Thermal and Statistical Physics I (Physics 533) Spring 2012

Physics 533 provides an introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. It is a core course for graduate students of physics and astronomy but students of other disciplines with appropriate background are welcome to enroll; check with the instructor.

In brief

Instructor:            Gary S. Collins, Webster 554, 335-1354, email:collins@wsu.edu. You can learn more about me here.
Meeting times:    MWF, 9:10-10:00 am, Webster B11.
Required text: Herbert B. Callen, Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics (Wiley, 2nd edition, 1985).
Office hours:       whenever my door is open or by appointment.

Course information (PDF)

Angel web site for enrolled students (learning management system: class notes, solutions, other resources)

http://lms.wsu.edu/

Additional resources (please notify me of dead links and better links)

Web courses and notes (better ones near top)

Thermal and Statistical Physics (Harvey Gould and Jan Tobotchnik; undergrad/grad level)
Chemical Thermodynamics course (Nancy Makri, Chemistry, UIUC, 4.5 MB powerpoint)
Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics (John Saunders, Royal Holloway U. of London)
Statistical Mechanics (Michael Cross, Caltech)
Thermal and Statistical Physics (Judith McGovern, Manchester) Index
Statistical Mechanics of Particles (Statistical Mechanics I, Mehran Kardar, MIT; graduate level)
Statistical Mechanics of Fields (Statistical Mechanics II, Mehran Kardar, MIT; graduate level)
Chemical Thermodynamics (W. Mulder, U. of the West Indies, Jamaica)
Thermodynamics (for chemical engineers; Princeton U.)
Expert system for thermodynamics (S. Bhattacharjee, San Diego State U.; online testing)
Thermodynamics of Materials (W. Craig Carter, MIT)

About Callen's text and others

Various approaches to thermodynamics (PDF) (Peter Salamon, San Diego State U.)

Simulations and visualizations

The Thermodynamic Cube and Octahedron (generalization of the thermodynamic square to three extensive parameters)
Gibbs models in 3d of thermodynamic functions (Kenneth Jolls and Daniel Coy)
Java applets (Harvey Gould and Jan Tobotchnik; lots of elementary ones)

Miscellaneous

List of Statistical Mechanics Texts (Harvey Gould, Clark U.) Second list with comments (Roger Cowley, Rutgers U.)
The Second Law and Life (Brig Klyce)
Homogeneous functions
Theory of thermocouples (w/ table of Seebeck coefficients) (eFunda)

Phase diagrams and evaluated data

Thermophysical properties of selected fluids (NIST)
Phase diagrams and solidification (U Cambridge)
Calculated phase diagrams of solder systems (NIST)
Phase diagram tutorial (U Southhampton)
Ceramics data evaluated (NIST webbook)

Fine Print

See syllabus for issues of academic honesty, campus safety and disability accommodation.

23 December 2011. You are visitor to this page since the last reset. Send suggestions and bad links to collins-at-wsu-edu. Return to Gary Collins's instructional home page.