Thermal & Statistical Physics
In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, physicists developed thermal physics as a way of improving the efficiency of steam engines. At nearly the same time, the development of statistical physics gave birth to an understanding of how large ensembles of particles interacted. We will study both the macroscopic (“Thermal”) and microscopic (“Statistical”) view of systems and the connection between those two via multiplicity and the second law of thermodynamics. This topic is of broad scientific interest within physics and beyond: biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and even economics can draw on thermal and statistical physics.
We will meet as a class every Tuesday and Friday from 10:30am to 12:20pm.
The schedule for the course is below. Note that links to problem sets, materials, and projects will become active as the term goes on.
| Week of | Topic | Reading | Problem Sets |
| Sept 4 | Foundations & “Systems” | Ch. 1 | Problem Set 1 |
| Sept 11 | [Missed Week] | ||
| Sept 18 | Heat & Work | Ch. 1.1 – 1.6 | Problem Set 2 |
| Sept 25 | Heat & Work | Ch. 1.1 – 1.6 | |
| Oct 2 | The Second Law | Ch. 2 | Problem Set 3 |
| Oct. 9 | The Second Law + Applications of the Second Law | Ch. 2 & 3 | Problem Set 4 |
| Oct. 16 | Macroscopic Entropy (No Class Friday) | Ch. 3 | |
| Oct. 23 | Review + Midterm Exam | ||
| Oct. 30 | Macroscopic Entropy and the Thermodynamic Identity | Ch. 3 | Problem Set 5 |
| Nov. 6 | Heat Engines and Refrigerators | Ch. 4 | Problem Set 6 Youtube Videos: 1 2 |
| Nov. 13 | Boltzmann Statistics (no class Tuesday) | Ch. 6 | Problem Set 7 |
| Nov. 20 | Boltzmann Statistics (No Class Friday) | Ch. 6 | Problem Set 8 |
| Nov. 27 | Partition Function and Free Energy | Ch. 6 & 5 | Problem Set 9 |
| Dec. 4 | Thermodynamic Potentials | Ch. 5 | |
| Dec. 11 | Review/Final Exam |
