Principles of Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

by D. F. Lawden

Overview

A thorough exploration of the universal principles of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, this volume explains the applications of these essential rules to a multitude of situations arising in physics and engineering. It develops their use in a variety of circumstances—including those involving gases, crystals, and magnets—in order to illustrate general methods of analysis and to provide readers with all the necessary background to continue in greater depth with specific topics.Author D. F. Lawden has considerable experience in teaching this subject to university students of varied abilities and backgrounds. Well acquainted with which concepts and arguments sometimes prove problematic, he presents the potentially difficult sections with particular care. Students can supplement their understanding by working through the numerous exercises which appear throughout the text. Mathematical physicists will find this volume of particular value, as will engineers requiring a basic but comprehensive introduction to the principles of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486152240
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	12/21/2012
Series:	Dover Books on Physics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

D. F. Lawden

Table of Contents

PrefaceList of Constants1. Classical Thermodynamics 1.1 Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics 1.2 Thermodynamical equilibrium 1.3 Zeroth law of thermodynamics 1.4 First law of thermodynamics. Internal energy 1.5 Ideal gases 1.6 Second law of thermodynamics. Absolute temperature 1.7 Entropy. Clausius' inequality 1.8 Illustrative problems 1.9 Law of incerasing entropy Exercises 12. Applications of Classical Theory 2.1 Two-parameter systems 2.2 Enthalpy, free energy and Gibbs function 2.3 Experimental characteristics for a fluid 2.4 Characteristics of a fluid 2.5 Adiabatic demagnetization 2.6 Thermal radiation 2.7 Phase equilibrium 2.8 Vapour-pressure curve. Clapeyron's equation 2.9 Gibbs' phase rule Exercises 23. Classical Statistics. Maxwell's distribution 3.1 Hypothesis of random states 3.2 The Gibbs ensemble 3.3 Liouville's theorem 3.4 Thermodynamical equilibrium 3.5 Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution law 3.6 Thermodynamics of a Maxwell gas 3.7 Gas of point molecules 3.8 Boltzmann's principle. Disorder of systems Exercises 34. Method of Mean Values 4.1 Statistical analysis of Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution 4.2 Mixture of gases 4.3 System in a heat bath. Canonical ensemble 4.4 Partition functions for mixtures 4.5 Gas of diatomic molecules 4.6 Parmagnetic materials. Langevin's function 4.7 Additional constraints 4.8 Equipartition of energy. Law of Dulong and Petit 4.9 Entropy and information Exercises 45. Quantum Statistics 5.1 Quantization of phase space 5.2 Density matrix 5.3 Liouville's theorem 5.4 Quantum interpretation of classical theory of molecualr aggregates 5.5 Absolute zero. Third law of thermodynamics 5.6 Grand canonical ensemble 5.7 Thermodynamics of an open system 5.8 Classical gas of indistinguishable molecules Exercises 56. Crystals and Magnets 6.1 Einstein's model of a crystal 6.2 Debye's model for a crystal. Phonons 6.3 Quantum theory of paramagnetic materials Exercises 67. Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac Statistics 7.1 Gas of indistinguishable non-interacting molecules 7.2 Gas of point bosons 7.3 Gas of bosons with rotational energy 7.4 Fermion gas 7.5 Conduction electrons in metals 7.6 Photon gas Exercises 7Appendices A. Electromagnetic field energy B. Stirling's formula C. Evaluation of a contour integralBibliographyIndex