Statistical Mechanics: A Set of Lectures (Advanced Book Classics)

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A Solid Overview.......2005-07-05

The Feynman Lectures on Statistical Mechanics contain a great deal of very useful information, and each page is full of solid work without bothering too much with unnecessary details. The book also covers all the bases very well, hitting plenty of good examples, such as spin waves, and the obligatory superconductivity chapter is a solid introduction.

My only complaint is that the ordering of the book is a little haphazard. I understand that it is difficult to include quantum and classical statistical mechanics in one continuous run, but the book seems to jump around a bit.

All this considered, the book is probably a must-buy for people interested in statistical physics, as it is one of the better general overview books available (I despise the Reif; it needs to be updated and completely rearranged), and, as an added bonus, you get to see the Onsager solution to the 2-D Ising model. Cheers!

a tremendous book.......2005-02-02

when i was undergrad, i read Prof. Kerson Huang's stat mech. i think that book is good. everything is covered systematically, but everything is explained 'evenly'. if u r a careful reader, u still get the ideas of the essence, like partition function plays the central role of stat mech, etc.

now, i am reading feynman's book. it's totally diff from huang's. it's full of excitement. he put the principle of stat mech which is the relation b/w partition function and probability at the very beginning. all the other aspects in stat mech follow so straight forword and there are endless novel derivations in this book. i feel many of my previous understandings are interconnected by reading this book.

it's simply great, just like the other books written by feynman.

Style over substance........2003-12-30

Feynman was one of the most accomplished physicists in the 2nd half of the 20th century. His publications speak for themselves. However, as represented in this set of lecture notes, I do not find him as a pedagogue more enlightening than others. I bought and read this book in grad school, and found it to be a nice quick intro to several topics (spin waves and such). I did not, and still don't find the exposition physically exceptionally profound. One difference though, is the fact that Feynman, with his fame, could afford to be rather informal in his presentation. Any unsatisfactory aspects would be accepted as the mysterious ways of a 'genius'. If you are a student and would like to learn to solve problems on your own, forget this one. What this book gives you is a little 'attitude', aside from a quick intro, which most of us haven't earned the right to put on, of doing physics. Try it. Try to be as unorthodox and informal as he was, and you will mostly end up with nonsense.

extraordinary Masterpiece!.......2003-01-24

Richard Feynman said:"What I cannot create, I do not understand!". I am really amazed by his unique style of doing physics: he always create anything from scratch, always has his unique point of view, even on an old problem. All I can say about Feynman is Genius!!!
This book is about Feynman's extraordinary viewpoint on statistical mechanics. I can bet that this is an unique S.M book.
but i don't think it's for beginner, I suggest you should finish a standard statistical mechanics course before you read this one.
I can not find suitable words to admire this great book, so I quit here, but in the end, I strongly recommend this book to all physicists, physics-major students!

Statistics that "moos you along".......2002-01-14

A classic by one of the best. I wish I could say I understand
it all, but it rings true in many ways. His famous quote
"I can definitely say that Nobody understands Quantum Mechanics"
is perhaps this biggest "Moo Clue".

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Perfect for engineers

Modern Physics for Engineers
Jasprit Singh
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471330442

Book Description

Linking physics fundamentals to modern technology-a highly applied primer for students and engineers

Reminding us that modern inventions-new materials, information technologies, medical technological breakthroughs-are based on well-established fundamental principles of physics, Jasprit Singh integrates important topics from quantum mechanics, statistical thermodynamics, and materials science, as well as the special theory of relativity. He then goes a step farther and applies these fundamentals to the workings of electronic devices-an essential leap for anyone interested in developing new technologies.

From semiconductors to nuclear magnetic resonance to superconducting materials to global positioning systems, Professor Singh draws on wide-ranging applications to demonstrate each concept under discussion. He downplays extended mathematical derivations in favor of results and their real-world design implication, supplementing the book with nearly 100 solved examples, 120 figures, and 200 end-of-chapter problems.

Modern Physics for Engineers provides engineering and physics students with an accessible, unified introduction to the complex world underlying today's design-oriented curriculums. It is also an extremely useful resource for engineers and applied scientists wishing to take advantage of research opportunities in diverse fields.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for engineers.......2000-08-22

This book covers topics in modern physics that are the most important for the engineer. It makes an equilibrated use of figures, tables and conceptual diagrams, thus providing a clear guideline for the student. It also provides small but interesting historic introductions in some chapters, that also help to understand why different theories appeared. This could all be done without forgetting the necessary theoretical and mathematical rigorousness. A very good book for engineers.

Information-Statistical Data Mining: Warehouse Integration with Examples of Oracle Basics (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)

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Highly Recommended
An excellent book

Information-Statistical Data Mining: Warehouse Integration with Examples of Oracle Basics (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)
Bon K. Sy , and A.K. Gupta
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Oracle Data Mining: Mining Gold from Your Warehouse (Oracle In-Focus series)

ASIN: 1402076509

Book Description

As computer technology becomes more powerful, it becomes possible to collect data at a level, by size and the level of extent that could not even be imagined just a few years ago. At the same time, it also offers a growing possibility of discovering intelligence from data through statistical techniques cornered as Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA). While EDA evolves to play a major role in the field of data mining, treatment for temporal spatial data remains a challenge. Information-Statistical Data Mining: Warehouse Integration with Examples of Oracle Basics will address this issue.
This book will also attempt to address this issue through a framework that may allow us to answer at least partially, the following two important questions. First, how do we gain insights into understanding the intelligence behind the valuable information that data mining offers? More specifically, how do we interpret and evaluate the quality of information resulting from an EDA that is typically oriented around statistical techniques. Overall, Information-Statistical Data Mining: Warehouse Integration with Examples of Oracle Basics is written to introduce basic concepts, advanced research techniques, and practical solutions of data warehousing and data mining for hosting large data sets and EDA. This book is unique because it is one of the few in the forefront that attempts to bridge statistics and information theory through a concept of patterns.
Information-Statistical Data Mining: Warehouse Integration with Examples of Oracle Basics is designed for a professional audience composed of researchers and practitioners in industry. This book is also suitable as a secondary text for graduate-level students in computer science and engineering.

Customer Reviews:

Highly Recommended.......2004-08-19

As storage technologies continue to improve and lessen in cost, data mining is becoming an increasingly important activity for all types of enterprises and industries. I have read and reviewed many books in this field, but none have presented the key concepts as well as new research together with examples for their proper use as this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone and everyone interested in this field.

An excellent book.......2004-03-28

No matter one is a beginner or an expert in the field of data mining,"Information-Statistical Data Mining: Warehouse Integration with Examples of Oracle Basics" is really a great hand book. The book is written in plain English to explain the terminologies and the concept of patterns for data mining --- making it easier for readers to understand the basic and advanced data mining concepts. Also, it shows clearly how data mining theories are realized in software implementation, how the implementation is applied to a variety of data sets in different disciplines, and how one can gain knowledge from the valuable information obtained from the process of data mining. Furthermore, it also discussed the way to interpret and to
evaluate the quality of information resulting from the process of data mining. I particularly like the real world case study examples that help me to understand the data mining principles discussed in the book, and to draw me in further into the field. This book is well organized. I strongly recommend the book!

Glassy Materials and Disordered Solids: An Introduction to Their Statistical Mechanics

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Glassy Materials and Disordered Solids: An Introduction to Their Statistical Mechanics
Kurt Binder , and Walter Kob
Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9812565108

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The physics of glassy materials and disordered solids presents students with an area of study much more challenging than the physics of crystalline solids. Written by two recognized experts in the field, this highly readable book tackles the subject with the student firmly in mind, beginning with a pedagogical introduction to important concepts such as percolation, fractals, spin glasses, and glasses. Making use of these concepts, the authors show that such systems share many common aspects that can be described within the framework of statistical mechanics. The book is also an essential standard text for researchers on amorphous materials, equally accessible for theorists and experimentalists.

Statistical Physics I: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences)

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Good on stochastic processes
The best book on Statistical Mechanics
The best book on Statistical Mechanics

Statistical Physics I: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences)
Morikazu Toda , Ryogo Kubo , and Nobuhiko Saito
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3540536620

Book Description

Statistical Physics I discusses the fundamentals of equilibrium statistical mechanics, focussing on basic physical aspects. No previous knowledge of thermodynamics or the molecular theory of gases is assumed. Illustrative examples based on simple materials and photon systems elucidate the central ideas and methods.

Customer Reviews:

Good on stochastic processes.......2003-05-27

This text provides a good, readable introduction to Markov processes, including Fokker-Planck equations, from the standpoint of typical physical examples. A weakness is that (by only mentioning and not developing Ito calculus) the book does not make it clear to the reader that most stochastic processes are nonstationary. This is important: today, we are interested in far from equilibrium dynamics, much less so in dynamics near equilibrium where the fluctuation-dissipation theorem holds. On the other hand, the standard financial math texts (Baxter and Rennie, Steele, ...) do us no service in this direction either. The book goes beyond the older reference by Wax, which is still a very good introduction to Markov processes. In any case, no existing reference treats the general case of a space-time-dependent diffusion coefficient adequately, the case of most interest for the dynamics of financial markets. Now for details of the weak spots.

There are two mistakes on pages 65-68. The discussion is based on the sde dx=-R(x)dt+D(x,t)^1/2dB(t) where B(t) is a Wiener process. First, it is claimed that the random force D(x,t)^1/2dB is Gaussian with a white spectrum. In general, the random force is not even stationary unless D is independent of x. The unstated assumption is that the random force is always stationary, so that with R(x) <0 there is an approach to equilibrium. When the diffusion coefficient depends on x (or more generally on (x,t)) then there is no approach to equilibrium for the case of unbounded x even with R <0, as the lognormal model of standard finance theory so vividly shows. Second, even if an equilibrium solution of the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation 'exists', it cannot be reached dynamically when the force is nonstationary. Again, the lognormal model illustrates this point. Arguments (typical in economics) that an equilibrium solution 'exists' are meaningless are useless if the dynamics can't approach that solution.

The best book on Statistical Mechanics.......2000-03-26

Statistical Mechanics (1&2) by Toda and Kubo is the best textbook on statistical mechanics I've read. This book has some material such as Linear response theory(in vol 2), ergotic problems(in vol 1) which is difficult to find in other ones. I like the way the author write in linear response part. It is beautiful.

The best book on Statistical Mechanics.......2000-03-26

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Fluctuations Order & Defects
Gene F. Mazenko , and Gene Mazenko
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471328405

Book Description

Fluctuations, order, and defects determine a material's properties. The difference between water and ice is a matter of order. Many of today's high-tech materials in electronics and chemistry engineer order and defects to maximize desired properties. This second of a four volume set discusses phase transitions in a field theoretic context and shows how these methods can be applied to more complex systems such as liquid crystals and polymers. While building on the previous volume, this volume is self-contained and stands alone as a valuable resource.

* Modern treatment includes coverage of effective hamiltonians.
* Focuses on problems in condensed matter physics.
* Author is well-known and respected for his work in statistical mechanics.

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Great introduction to statistical mechanics

Introductory Statistical Mechanics
Roger Bowley , and Mariana Sanchez
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0198505760

Book Description

This book explains the ideas and techniques of statistical mechanics-the theory of condensed matter-in a simple and progressive way. The text starts with the laws of thermodynamics and simple ideas of quantum mechanics. The conceptual ideas underlying the subject are explained carefully; the mathematical ideas are developed in parallel to give a coherent overall view. The text is illustrated with examples not just from solid state physics, but also from recent theories of radiation from black holes and recent data on the background radiation from the Cosmic background explorer. In this second edition, slightly more advanced material on statistical mechanics is introduced, material which students should meet in an undergraduate course. As a result the new edition contains three more chapters on phase transitions at an appropriate level for an undergraduate student. There are plenty of problems at the end of each chapter, and brief model answers are provided for odd-numbered problems. From reviews of the first edition: '...Introductory Statistical Mechanics is clear and crisp and takes advantage of the best parts of the many approaches to the subject' Physics Today

Customer Reviews:

Great introduction to statistical mechanics.......2003-05-09

I recommend this book to anyone who is taking an undergraduate course in stat mech. I also recommend it to beginning GRADUATE students of stat mech. I used it for my own graduate coursework and I found it to be extremely helpful.

This book provides a clean, uncluttered presentation of the principles of stat mech; does not lose sight of the physical reasons behind the mathematical manipulations; and most helpful of all, contains a good set of problems WITH SOLUTIONS! It has been more helpful to me in my graduate work than any graduate-level book!

In a next edition, maybe the authors can include a gentle introduction to the new renormalization group theory of phase transitions, and also increase the number and depth of problems.

Book Description

Recent developments have led to a good understanding of universality; why phase transitions in systems as diverse as magnets, fluids, liquid crystals, and superconductors can be brought under the same theoretical umbrella and well described by simple models. This book describes the physics underlying universality and then lays out the theoretical approaches now available for studying phase transitions. Traditional techniques, mean-field theory, series expansions, and the transfer matrix, are described; the Monte Carlo method is covered, and two chapters are devoted to the renormalization group, which led to a break-through in the field. The book will be useful as a textbook for a course in `Phase Transitions', as an introduction for graduate students undertaking research in related fields, and as an overview for scientists in other disciplines who work with phase transitions but who are not aware of the current tools in the armoury of the theoretical physicist.

Customer Reviews:

An incentive for deeper studies on phase transitions.......2006-07-20

I would not say that this is a 'serious' treatise on phase transitions but it will be great if you just want to have an overlook on the subject. You will get a glance on mean field theory, correlation fonctions, transfer matrices and even the renormalization group theory for less thant 150 pages before you could decide to study statistical field theory, which you probably will want to do if you read this book.

Excellent introduction to phase transitions.......2000-08-25

I liked this book because it covers in a short, but comprehensive, manner the main approaches to phase transitions (mean-field theories, transfer matrix, series expansions, Monte Carlo simulations, renormalization group) and so it is an excellent introduction to the theoretical methods of phase transitions. I recommend it to anyone who is giving the first steps in the field of phase transitions. I emphasize that the book contains two good chapters devoted to the renormalization group; the author doesn't limit the approach to the introduction of the formalim, but includes also several examples of renormalization group transformations and demonstrates how to use the renormalization group ideas to calculate critical properties.

Quantum Mechanics and Its Emergent Macrophysics

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Quantum Mechanics and Its Emergent Macrophysics
Geoffrey Sewell
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691058326

Book Description

The quantum theory of macroscopic systems is a vast, ever-developing area of science that serves to relate the properties of complex physical objects to those of their constituent particles. Its essential challenge is that of finding the conceptual structures needed for the description of the various states of organization of many-particle quantum systems. In this book, Geoffrey Sewell provides a new approach to the subject, based on a "macrostatistical mechanics," which contrasts sharply with the standard microscopic treatments of many-body problems.

Sewell begins by presenting the operator algebraic framework for the theory. He then undertakes a macrostatistical treatment of both equilibrium and nonequilibrium thermodynamics, which yields a major new characterization of a complete set of thermodynamic variables and a nonlinear generalization of the Onsager theory. The remainder of the book focuses on ordered and chaotic structures that arise in some key areas of condensed matter physics. This includes a general derivation of superconductive electrodynamics from the assumptions of off-diagonal long-range order, gauge covariance, and thermodynamic stability, which avoids the enormous complications of the microscopic treatments. Sewell also unveils a theoretical framework for phase transitions far from thermal equilibrium. Throughout, the mathematics is kept clear without sacrificing rigor.

Representing a coherent approach to the vast problem of the emergence of macroscopic phenomena from quantum mechanics, this well-written book is addressed to physicists, mathematicians, and other scientists interested in quantum theory, statistical physics, thermodynamics, and general questions of order and chaos.

A Brief Introduction to Classical, Statistical, and Quantum Mechanics (Courant Lecture Notes)

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A Brief Introduction to Classical, Statistical, and Quantum Mechanics (Courant Lecture Notes)
Oliver Buhler
Manufacturer: American Mathematical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0821842323
Release Date: 2006-10-12

Product Description

This book provides a rapid overview of the basic methods and concepts in mechanics for beginning Ph.D. students and advanced undergraduates in applied mathematics or related fields. It is based on a graduate course given in 2006-07 at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Among other topics, the book introduces Newton's law, action principles, Hamilton-Jacobi theory, geometric wave theory, analytical and numerical statistical mechanics, discrete and continuous quantum mechanics, and quantum path-integral methods. The focus is on fundamental mathematical methods that provide connections between seemingly unrelated subjects. An example is Hamilton-Jacobi theory, which appears in the calculus of variations, in Fermat's principle of classical mechanics, and in the geometric theory of dispersive wavetrains. The material is developed in a sequence of simple examples and the book can be used in a one-semester class on classical, statistical, and quantum mechanics. Some familiarity with differential equations is required but otherwise the book is self-contained. In particular, no previous knowledge of physics is assumed. Titles in this series are copublished with the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.

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