PHY 370 Thermal Physics
Syllabus
Instructor: André Wehner, Olin 111, Ph. 238-5919, e-mail wehner@centre.edu,
Office Hours: M-Th: 4-7, or by appointment.
Class Time:
Text: Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics, 4th edition, Ashley H. Carter
Grading: 4 tests @ 10% each = 40%
Final 25%
Homework 35%
Course Description
This course is an introduction to thermodynamics, kinetic theory, and statistical mechanics. Classical thermodynamics (Ch. 2-10), developed in the early 19th century by Clausius, Carnot, Clapeyron, Mayer, Joule, Boyle, Helmholtz, and many others, describes macroscopic, i.e. directly measurable, properties of matter, such as temperature and pressure. We will discuss phase diagrams, the three laws of thermodynamics, and useful quantities such as internal energy, entropy, enthalpy, and free energy. The kinetic theory of gases (Ch. 11), largely due to Maxwell, provides an explanation of the macroscopic properties of gases in terms of the collective behavior of atoms or molecules. We find that temperature corresponds to average kinetic energy of the particles, and pressure to their average momentum as they collide with the walls of their container. The kinetic theory serves as a bridge between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (Ch. 12-19) where we apply the laws of classical mechanics to systems consisting of large numbers of particles using statistical methods. Here we focus on the microscopic interactions of such systems. This approach goes back to the work of Boltzmann and Gibbs in the late 19th century and was extended to quantum systems in the early 20th century. 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.
The prerequisites for this class are PHY 220 (General Physics II) and MAT 230 (Calculus III). The class is not a prerequisite itself for any other class; however, the concepts and tools we develop in this course prove to be very powerful in all of physics: it helps us to understand the behavior of everything from elementary particles to massive stars, from diffuse gases to solid materials. The broad applicability of these concepts comes about because thermal physics describes the world in a very general way, ignoring the details particular to a given system, and employing instead the overarching principle of minimizing energy and maximizing entropy, which are common to all physical systems.
Further Remarks
I expect you to be prepared for class and to participate in class every day – being prepared means at the very least doing your homework, reading the assignment, and looking over notes from previous classes. It is your responsibility to make use of the resources available to help you do well in this course. I encourage you to visit me in my office, read material in advance, and form study groups with other students in the class. Ultimately, your grade will depend on the amount of study time and effort you put in on this course – it is not likely that you will do well if you do no more than show up for classes and cram for the tests. The course requires scheduled time each night for homework and study – if you don't do a few problems each day, then you may not be doing enough. On the other hand, working consistently each day on problems, successfully finding their solutions, is a formula for success in this and any math course.
You are expected to be present for all classes. Please let me know in advance if you must be absent for a scheduled college activity. Three inexcused absences will result in a lowering of the grade. If you have to miss class for a valid reason (proof required!), you will be allowed to make up a quiz or test. If you know in advance you will miss a test or quiz, you should make arrangements to take it early.
Homework (see schedule below) is an essential part of this class. The due dates will be announced in class. The four tests (1 hour), and the final (2 hours) will consist of a selection remotely resembling the assigned homework problems. They are "closed everything." The final grading scale will be determined at the end of the course depending on the class average.
This syllabus can be found at http://web.centre.edu/wehner/courses/p370s05.htm .
Schedule
|
Day |
Chapter Covered |
Homework |
|
|
|
|
|
2/2 |
1 |
|
|
2/4 |
1 |
Ch. 1: 3, 7, 8, 10 |
|
2/7 |
2 |
Ch. 2: 2-6, 9-11 |
|
2/9 |
3 |
|
|
2/11 |
3 |
A-2: 3, 4; Ch. 3: 3, 5, 8, 9, 11 |
|
2/14 |
4 |
|
|
2/16 |
4 |
|
|
2/18 |
5 |
|
|
2/21 |
5 |
|
|
2/23 |
Test 1 |
|
|
2/25 |
6 |
|
|
2/28 |
6 |
|
|
3/2 |
7 |
|
|
3/4 |
7 |
|
|
3/7 |
8 |
|
|
3/9 |
8 |
|
|
3/11 |
9 |
|
|
3/14 |
9 |
|
|
3/16 |
10 |
|
|
3/18 |
Test 2 |
|
|
3/28 |
10 |
|
|
3/30 |
11 |
|
|
4/1 |
11 |
|
|
4/4 |
12 |
|
|
4/6 |
12 |
|
|
4/8 |
13 |
|
|
4/11 |
13 |
|
|
4/13 |
14 |
|
|
4/15 |
14 |
|
|
4/18 |
Test 3 |
|
|
4/20 |
15 |
|
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4/22 |
15 |
|
|
4/25 |
16 |
|
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4/27 |
16 |
|
|
4/29 |
18 |
|
|
5/2 |
18 |
|
|
5/4 |
19 |
|
|
5/6 |
19 |
|
|
5/9 |
Test 4 |
|
|
|
|
|
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5/17 |
(comprehensive) |
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