Concepts in Thermal Physics / Edition 2

by Stephen J. Blundell, Katherine M. Blundell

Overview

An understanding of thermal physics is crucial to much of modern physics, chemistry and engineering. This book provides a modern introduction to the main principles that are foundational to thermal physics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The key concepts are carefully presented in a clear way, and new ideas are illustrated with copious worked examples as well as a description of the historical background to their discovery. Applications are presented to subjects as diverse as stellar astrophysics, information and communication theory, condensed matter physics and climate change. Each chapter concludes with detailed exercises.

The second edition of this popular textbook maintains the structure and lively style of the first edition but extends its coverage of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics to include several new topics, including osmosis, diffusion problems, Bayes theorem, radiative transfer, the Ising model and Monte Carlo methods. New examples and exercises have been added throughout.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199562107
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/30/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Stephen Blundell did his undergraduate degree in Physics and Theoretical Physics at Peterhouse, Cambridge and his Ph. D. in the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge. He moved to the Clarendon Laboratory at Oxford to take up an SERC research fellowship, followed by a Junior Research Fellowship at Merton College, where he began research in organic magnets and superconductors using muon-spin rotation. In 1997 he was appointed to a University Lectureship in the Physics Department and a Tutorial Fellowship at Mansfield College, Oxford, and was subsequently promoted to Reader and then Professor. He was a joint winner of the Daiwa-Adrian Prize in 1999 for his work on organic magnets.

Katherine Blundell did her undergraduate degree in Physics and Theoretical Physics at New Hall College, Cambridge and her Ph. D. in the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge. She moved to Oxford University Astrophysics department, holding a Junior Research Fellowship at Balliol College, an 1851 Research Fellowship, before taking up a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. Her research concentrates on radio galaxies and quasars. In 2005 she won a Leverhulme prize for her research, and became a Professor of Astrophysics in 2008.

Table of Contents

I: PRELIMINARIES1. Introduction2. Heat3. Probability4. Temperature and the Boltzmann factorII: KINETIC THEORY OF GASES5. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution6. Pressure7. Molecular effusion8. The mean free path and collisionsIII: TRANSPORT AND THERMAL DIFFUSION9. Transport properties in gases10. The thermal diffusion equationIV: THE FIRST LAW11. Energy12. Isothermal and adiobatic processesV: THE SECOND LAW13. Heat engines and the second law14. Entropy15. Information theoryVI: THERMODYNAMICS IN ACTION16. Thermodynamic potentials17. Rods, bubbles and magnets18. The third lawVII: STATISTICAL MECHANICS19. Equipartition of energy20. The partition function21. Statistical mechanics of an ideal gas22. The chemical potential23. Photons24. PhononsVIII: BEYOND THE IDEAL GAS25. Relativistic gases26. Real gases27. Cooling real gases28. Phase transitions29. Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distributions30. Quantum gases and condensatesIX: SPECIAL TOPICS31. Sound waves32. Shock waves33. Brownian motion and fluctuations34. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics35. Stars36. Compact objects37. Earth's atmosphere

Editorial Reviews

"With so many results derived from so few assumptions, it is important that the presentation be clear and logical. Concepts in Thermal Physics by Stephen J. Blundell and Katherine M. Blundell fulfills that need admirably, and their textbook will be very useful for an undergraduate course in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics."—
hysics Today


"With so many results derived from so few assumptions, it is important that the presentation be clear and logical. Concepts in Thermal Physics by Stephen J. Blundell and Katherine M. Blundell fulfills that need admirably, and their textbook will be very useful for an undergraduate course in
thermodynamics and statistical mechanics."—
hysics Today

From the Publisher