Thermodynamics is not the oldest of sciences. Mechanics can make that claim. Thermodynamics is a product of some of the greatest scientific minds of the 19th and 20th centuries. But it is sufficiently established that most authors of new textbooks in thermodynamics find it necessary to justify their writing of yet another textbook. I find this an unnecessary exercise because of the centrality of thermodynamics as a science in physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. I do acknowledge, however, that instruction in thermodynamics often leaves the student in a confused state. My attempt in this book is to present thermodynamics in as simple and as unified a form as possible. As teachers we identify the failures of our own teachers and attempt to correct them. Although I personally acknowledge with a deep gratitude the appreciation for thermodynamics that I found as an undergraduate, I also realize that my teachers did not convey to me the sweeping grandeur of thermodynamics. Specifically the s- plicity and the power that James Clerk Maxwell found in the methods of Gibbs were not part of my undergraduate experience. Unfortunately some modern authors also seem to miss this central theme, choosing instead to introduce the thermodynamic potentials as only useful functions at various points in the development.
1100406470
Modern Thermodynamics with Statistical Mechanics
Thermodynamics is not the oldest of sciences. Mechanics can make that claim. Thermodynamics is a product of some of the greatest scientific minds of the 19th and 20th centuries. But it is sufficiently established that most authors of new textbooks in thermodynamics find it necessary to justify their writing of yet another textbook. I find this an unnecessary exercise because of the centrality of thermodynamics as a science in physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. I do acknowledge, however, that instruction in thermodynamics often leaves the student in a confused state. My attempt in this book is to present thermodynamics in as simple and as unified a form as possible. As teachers we identify the failures of our own teachers and attempt to correct them. Although I personally acknowledge with a deep gratitude the appreciation for thermodynamics that I found as an undergraduate, I also realize that my teachers did not convey to me the sweeping grandeur of thermodynamics. Specifically the s- plicity and the power that James Clerk Maxwell found in the methods of Gibbs were not part of my undergraduate experience. Unfortunately some modern authors also seem to miss this central theme, choosing instead to introduce the thermodynamic potentials as only useful functions at various points in the development.
54.99
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Modern Thermodynamics with Statistical Mechanics
402
Modern Thermodynamics with Statistical Mechanics
402Paperback(Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2009)
$54.99
54.99
In Stock
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9783642099090 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Springer Berlin Heidelberg |
| Publication date: | 11/19/2010 |
| Edition description: | Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2009 |
| Pages: | 402 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d) |
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