Download PHYS 355 Thermal Physics Fall Semester 2015 Description

PHYS 355 Thermal Physics
Fall Semester 2015
Description
The course will be divided into two parts. We will begin by examining the thermal properties of gases,
liquids, and solids from a thermodynamic, that is, macroscopic, viewpoint. Phase diagrams, the first, second,
and third laws of thermodynamics and useful quantities such as internal energy, entropy, enthalpy, and free
energy will be covered. The second part of the course will focus on a microscopic understanding of thermal
properties in terms of statistical mechanics. We will explore the probability distributions for classical and
quantum states, as well as the microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical partition functions and their
associated thermodynamic potentials. In both cases, concepts will be applied to several specific model
systems, in the attempt to show the practical utility of these ideas.
“Ludwig Boltzmann, who spent much of his life studying statistical mechanics, died in 1906, by his own
hand. Paul Ehrenfest, carrying on the work, died similarly in 1933. Now it is our turn to study statistical
mechanics.”
-- David L. Goodstein, vice provost and professor of physics and applied physics at the California
Institute of Technology.
Monday, Aug. 31
Topic:
Read:
Introduction to Thermodynamics.
Espinola, Chapter 1, pages 1-16.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 1, pages 2-18.
Wednesday, Sept. 2
Topic:
Read:
Equations of State.
Espinola, Chapter 2, pages 21-25.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 2, pages 24-27.
Problem Set #1
Assignment:
Friday, Sept. 4
Topic:
Read:
Sample systems - Gases and simple solids.
Espinola, Chapter 2, pages 25-29.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 2, pages 28-40, 49-51.
Monday, Sept. 7
Topic:
Read:
Sample systems - Pure substances.
Espinola, Chapter 2, pages 31-36.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 2, pages 42-48.
Wednesday, Sept. 9
Topic:
Read:
Sample system - the paramagnet.
Espinola, Chapter 2, pages 29-30.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 2, pages 40-41.
Friday, Sept. 11
Topic:
Read:
Partial derivatives and exact differentials.
Espinola, Chapter 2, pages 37-41.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 2, pages 53-54.
Problem Set #1.
Problem Set #2.
Due:
Assignment:
Monday, Sept. 14
Topic:
Read:
Relationships between partial derivatives.
Espinola, Chapter 2, pages 31-45.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 2, pages 51-52.
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Topic:
Read:
Heat and work.
Espinola, Chapter 3, pages 63-66.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 3, pages 62-72.
Friday, Sept. 18
Topic:
Read:
Due:
Assignment:
The first law and heat capacity.
Espinola, Chapter 3, pages 66-71.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 3, pages 72-83.
Problem Set #2.
Problem Set #3.
Monday, Sept. 21
Topic:
Read:
Sample systems - Heat capacity and internal energy.
Espinola, Chapter 3, pages 71-86.
Wednesday, Sept. 23
Topic:
Read:
Phase Change and Enthalpy.
Espinola, Chapter 7, pages 167-172.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 3, pages 83-86.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 7, pages 186-193.
Friday, Sept. 25
Topic:
Read:
Carnot cycle and the second law of thermodynamics.
Espinola, Chapter 4.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 4, pages 111-118.
Problem Set #3.
Problem Set #4.
Due:
Assignment:
Monday, Sept. 28
Topic:
Read:
Entropy.
Espinola, Chapter 5, pages 119-132.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 5, pages 122-141.
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Topic:
Read:
Sample systems - Entropy change.
Espinola, Chapter 5, pages 132-138.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 6, pages 148-164.
Friday, Oct. 2
Topic:
Read:
Due:
Assignment:
Thermodynamic potentials and Maxwell relations.
Espinola, Chapter 6, pages 143-164.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 7, 178-186.
Problem Set #4.
Problem Set #5.
Monday, Oct. 5
Topic:
Maxwell relations (continued).
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Topic:
Read:
Probability and statistics: Random walk problem.
Espinola, Appendix A.
Friday, Oct. 9
Topic:
Due:
Assignment:
Probability and statistics (continued).
Problem Set #5.
Test #1
Monday, Oct. 12
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Test #1 (take-home)
(No regular class session)
Friday, Oct. 16
October Break
2
Monday, Oct.19
Topic:
Assignment:
Due:
Sample system - Statistical properties of paramagnets.
Problem Set #6.
Test #1
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Topic:
Read:
Phase space, ensembles, and distribution functions.
Espinola, Chapter 8, p.185-193.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 11, pages 307-309.
Friday, Oct. 23
Topic:
Read:
Sample system - Paramagnet microstates.
Espinola, Chapter 8, p.193-197.
Monday, Oct. 26
Topic:
Due:
Assignment:
Sample system - Einstein crystal microstates.
Problem Set #6.
Problem Set #7.
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Topic:
Read:
The microcanonical ensemble and entropy.
Espinola, Chapter 9, p. 202-208.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 11, pages 310-312, 323-327.
Friday, Oct. 30
Topic:
The microcanonical ensemble and entropy (cont.).
Monday, Nov. 2
Topic:
Read:
Due:
Assignment:
Sample system - Paramagnetic equation of state.
Espinola, p. 209-213.
Problem Set #7.
Problem Set #8.
Wednesday, Nov. 4
Topic:
Sample system - Einstein crystal equation of state.
Friday, Nov. 6
Topic:
Read:
Example: the ideal gas equation of state.
Espinola, p. 213-217.
Monday, Nov. 9
Topic:
Read:
Due:
Assignment:
The canonical ensemble.
Espinola, Chapter 10, p.221-226.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 336-342.
Problem Set #8.
Problem Set #9.
Wednesday, Nov. 11
Topic:
The canonical ensemble (continued).
Friday, Nov. 13
Topic:
Read:
Assignment:
Thermodynamics from the partition function.
Espinola, Chapter 10, p. 226-231.
Test #2
Monday, Nov. 16
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Friday, Nov. 20
Test #2 (take-home)
(DPP meeting, no regular class session)
Topic:
Read:
Due:
Sample system - Paramagnet in the canonical ensemble
Espinola, Chapter 12, p. 289-292.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 13, pages 399-407.
Test #2
3
Monday, Nov. 23
Topic:
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Friday, Nov. 27
Sample system - Paramagnet (continued).
Thanksgiving Break
Monday, Nov. 30
Topic:
Read:
Sample system - Ideal gas in the canonical ensemble.
Espinola, Chapter 10, p. 231-235.
Sears and Salinger, Chapter 12, pages 350-354.
Wednesday, Dec. 2
Topic:
Read:
Due:
Assignment:
The grand canonical ensemble.
Espinola, Chapter 10, p. 235-240.
Problem Set #9.
Problem Set #10.
Friday, Dec. 4
Topic:
The grand canonical ensemble (continued).
Monday, Dec.7
Topic:
Due:
Sample system - Ideal gas in grand canonical ensemble.
Espinola, Chapter 10, p. 241-243.
Wednesday, Dec.9
Topic:
Read:
Bose-Einstein Statistics
Espinola, Chapter 11.
Friday, Dec. 11
Topic:
Due:
Fermi-Dirac Statistics
Problem Set #10.
Monday, Dec. 14
(10:30-12:30)
Due:
Final Exam (in-class)
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