Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics

Book Description

This book provides a solid introduction to the classical and statistical theories of thermodynamics while assuming no background beyond general physics and advanced calculus. Though an acquaintance with probability and statistics is helpful, it is not necessary. Providing a thorough, yet concise treatment of the phenomenological basis of thermal physics followed by a presentation of the statistical theory, this book presupposes no exposure to statistics or quantum mechanics. It covers several important topics, including a mathematically sound presentation of classical thermodynamics; the kinetic theory of gases including transport processes; and thorough, modern treatment of the thermodynamics of magnetism. It includes up-to-date examples of applications of the statistical theory, such as Bose-Einstein condensation, population inversions, and white dwarf stars. And, it also includes a chapter on the connection between thermodynamics and information theory. Standard International units are used throughout. An important reference book for every professional whose work requires and understanding of thermodynamics: from engineers to industrial designers. ÿ

Customer Reviews:

A great book for the simple stuff.......2005-10-04

I read this book pretty much cover to cover while preparing for a PhD qualify exam. It's the nicest thermodynamics book I've seen. The fact that I could just sit and read it like a novel was great (I never much liked thermo). Of course, it's also at a very basic level - it doesn't cover canonical or grand canonical formalism at all. But it has the basics of classical and even some quantum stat mech, and a good little bit on information theory.

For those who think it's too basic - come on, it's an undergrad book. Good for a second or third year course. The book description calling it "an important reference book for every professional" is puzzling, since it's not a reference book (not for the professional,anyway). But it is well written.

And it's very much overpriced, so I wouldn't buy it. But check it out from the library.

Good introduction, but that is all.......2004-12-06

I read Carter's book as a reference to my graduate thermo course. The good thing is, that it is so far the only book I have come across, that covers both classical and statistical thermodynamics equally. You will find that most books that claim to do both (Callen's, for example) are in fact classical thermo texts with some statistical stuff dangling on it.

The downside, is that it is a little too trivial. Having almost no exposure in stat. mech., I still find the exercises a little too easy. Concepts and derivations are spotty at times, and "leaps of faith" are common. Perhaps Carter wanted to spare the student from all the formalism. As a result, I needed a second book (I used Atkins' text on physical chemistry) to supplement my understanding.

I suppose this book aimed for a senior undergrad level. Despite the brevity, I would recommend this book as an introductory book on the "new" thermodynamics.

Not for those new to the subject.......2004-05-24

We used this book in a undergrad thermo course, it was almost of no use. It covered a fair amount of material, though I have seen books that cover more (Look at the dimensions, it is small and only about 400 pages.) It moved quickly, skipping details, especially in the proofs. I feel it would be a good summary for grad students who have studied thermodynamics before, but there are many better books out there for students seeking a first course.

Useful and challenging book.......2002-02-03

This is a challenging book to use if you are studying thermodynamics. It is concise; the theory and notation used were well done. There were some formulation mistakes in the Maxwell relations table and other little formulation mistakes. The author uses well known classical and statistical formulae well and good derivations (I liked that). Some of the problem sets were inconsistent with areas covered in a few chapters and some were oversimplified. Overall a decent book to use if your taking statistical thermo.

Information Dynamics and Open Systems: Classical and Quantum Approach (Fundamental Theories of Physics)

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Information Dynamics and Open Systems: Classical and Quantum Approach (Fundamental Theories of Physics)
Roman S. Ingarden , A. Kossakowski , and M. Ohya
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0792344731

Book Description

This book aims to present an information-theoretical approach to thermodynamics and its generalisations. On the one hand, it generalises the concept of `information thermodynamics' to that of `information dynamics' in order to stress applications outside thermal phenomena. On the other hand, it is a synthesis of the dynamics of state change and the theory of complexity, which provide a common framework to treat both physical and nonphysical systems together. Both classical and quantum systems are discussed, and two appendices are included to explain principal definitions and some important aspects of the theory of Hilbert spaces and operator algebras. The concept of higher-order temperatures is explained and applied to biological and linguistic systems. The theory of open systems is presented in a new, much more general form.
Audience: This volume is intended mainly for theoretical and mathematical physicists, but also for mathematicians, experimental physicists, physical chemists, theoretical biologists, communication engineers, and all those interested in entropy and open systems. It can also be recommended as a supplementary text.

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (Classical Theoretical Physics)

Average customer rating:

Good standard textbook, many examples, good for beginners to the field
No References and Many Careless Typos
Wow.
Excellent thermodynamics, statistical mechanics text.

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (Classical Theoretical Physics)
Walter Greiner , Ludwig Neise , and Horst Stöcker
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Classical Electrodynamics (Classical Theoretical Physics)
Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction
Classical Mechanics: Systems of Particles and Hamiltonian Dynamics (Classical Theoretical Physics)
Classical Mechanics: Point Particles and Relativity (Classical Theoretical Physics)
Statistical Mechanics, Second Edition

ASIN: 0387942998

Book Description

The series of texts Classical Theoretical Physics is based on the highly successful series of courses given by Walter Greiner and his colleagues at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Intended for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, the volumes in this series will provide not only a complete survey of classical theoretical physics but also an enormous number of worked examples and problems to show students clearly how to apply the underlying principles to realistic problems. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics covers: Thermodynamics - basic definitions of thermodynamics, equilibrium, state variables - the first and second laws - phase transitions and chemical reactions - thermodynamic potentials Statistical Mechanics - statistics of microscopic states and connection to the entropy - the microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical ensembles - applications of Boltzmann statistics Quantum Statistics - the density operator - many-particle wave functions - ideal quantum systems - the ideal Bose gas and applications to blackbody radiation, Kirchhoff's law, and lattice vibrations - the ideal Fermi gas and applications to condensed-matter physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics - relativistic Bose and Fermi gases and applications to particle physics Real Gases and Phase Transitions - real gases and the virial expansion - classification of phase transitions and critical indices - the Ising and Heisenberg models

Customer Reviews:

Good standard textbook, many examples, good for beginners to the field.......2006-06-19

This book is typical for all books of the Greiner series.
It contains lots of solved sample problems scattered throughout the text. It has a readable, nice style but there are many unnecessary typing errors. All in all this is a readable book for beginners but nothing special.

No References and Many Careless Typos.......2002-09-18

A slightly better graduate text is that by Pathria which is in its second edition. It is fairly clear that Greiner has borrowed heavily from Pathria's approach. Greiner's book is more comfortable to look at and read though.

Greiner does not include a single reference in this book. I would like to point out that if this were an article submitted to a scientific journal, it would be rejected out of hand for this egregious lack of attribution. This is particularly bothersome with regard to comparing experiment with theory. Mr. Bromley, who wrote the preface, states that these comparisons are a plus for the book. While true, this is hardly unique. Every stat mech book I have quotes experimental results, but the others also cite the reference to the original work. This gives students (and teachers) the ability to look at the experimental work and to get the data for themselves, and it gives credit to those who did the work.

What could have been a much better text is marred by too many typos and references to incorrect equation numbers. As well, I find that some "derivations", again contrary to a statement by Bromley, are of the "it can be seen that" variety, which is odd in a text which does go into some detail on many things, e.g. the derivation of the partition function for an ideal gas in the microcanonical ensemble. An example of a non-derivation is given in the discussion that follows eqn 7.67 which arbitrarily splits the velocity distribution into 3 multiplicative pieces. Since the big new thing for a student in this subject is the use of probability, it would have been much more appropriate to find the one-dimensional velocity distribution by integrating the 3d distribution over two of the components. There are other places in the book where the author fails to use this approach. Students find this confusing, I find it inconsistent. As it stands, the formula is correct, but there is not even a hint that it should be derived or questioned.

I found the discussion of the purely classical derivation, the semiclassical derivation, and the quantum derivation of various quantities such as the IG partition function to be a bit confusing at times particularly when the Gibbs factor and the quantum correction h^3N were involved, perhaps it is just me. I would find it better if each derivation were given separately with a summary at the end. This would be more helpful, since some of the later derivations, e.g. Maxwell-Boltzmann are essentially classical in nature and could be arrived at from any of the formulas.

On the other hand I found Chapter 12 on the Grand Canonical Ensemble to be excellent, especially the discussion of the distribution of occupation numbers on p. 308ff, an important topic that is not often discussed in Stat Mech books.

All in all, though, this would be good book with a little more care and with an appropriate reference list. If you get it, pay attention as you read it.

Wow........2002-07-30

All I can say is that I wish this text had been used in my graduate statistical physics class. The thorough explainations and derivations are very helpful and the extensive examples are priceless for students new to the subject.

Excellent thermodynamics, statistical mechanics text........2000-02-10

The way this textbook covers the topic is excellent and its practice problems are perfect. This book deserves the equivalent respect of Landau's series. My only regret is its problem in English translation.

Average customer rating:

Inconsistent

Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics
Gene F. Mazenko
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fluctuations Order & Defects

ASIN: 0471328391

Book Description

A completely modern approach to statistical mechanics

Gene Mazenko presents an introduction to statistical mechanics from the modern condensed matter physics point of view. Emphasizing symmetry principles, conservation laws, and the consequences of broken symmetry, all of which are crucial to a fundamental understanding of statistical physics, this volume discusses the role of broken translational symmetry in treating solids.Professor Mazenko develops a firm basis for the choice of macrovariables or thermodynamic variables, stressing the importance of Nambu-Goldstone modes. He develops this theory beyond the usual examples of simple fluids with discussions of magnets, superfluids, and solids. Based on the author's more than 30 years of experience with this subject, Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics:
* Develops the structure of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics from fundamentals
* Highlights the approach of coarse graining in statistical mechanics
* Discusses ergodic theory and information theory
* Treats phase transitions in a number of specific applications
* Includes copious examples and end-of-chapter problems
* Gives full development to the rich history of this topic

Look for Mazenko's forthcoming volumes, Fluctuations, Order, and Defects; Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics; and Field Theory Methods in Statistical Mechanics. Combined with this self-contained volume, these works span the entire graduate-level program.

Customer Reviews:

Inconsistent.......2002-03-27

Although the discussions of the topics are usually clear and concise, this book is not well organized. Obvious lack of adequate editing aside (numerous typos, grammatical errors, mislabeled figures, etc.), many of the end-of-chapter problems are not really coherent with the way things are introduced in the particular chapter. A few problems require knowing stuff that is explained later in the book. The book alone, therefore, is not suitable for self-study.

It might make a good supplemental reading since the discussions themselves are pretty good. However, for an academic book like this one, it is also important to have a good index, and unfortunately it is not particularly useful either.

The publisher, John Wiley & Sons

Solutions Manual available.

Customer Reviews:

very practical.......1999-07-02

I`m a marine engineering proffesor and lecturer and has been very, very interesant and very practical regarding to modern application.

¿How can i get from yours the solutions manual from this book? I Really want to acquire both book and solutions manual?

Kind regards

THE PUBLISHER, JOHN & SONS.......1999-03-25

SOLUTION TECHNIQUE IN ALL EXAMPLE PROBLE

Chemthermo: A Statistical Approach to Classical Chemical Thermodynamics

Average customer rating:

Religious attention to the details of the arguments.

Chemthermo: A Statistical Approach to Classical Chemical Thermodynamics
Leonard Kollender Nash
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Pub (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Religious attention to the details of the arguments........2002-04-02

However, future to understand the occurence of 365 in
the discussion of Einstein spectrochemistry, in a 1970 edition
of Nash's Classical and Statistical Chemical Thermodynamics,
Addison-Wesley... I, not yet understanding the context of
365, towards the end of the statiscal volume 2, in this
combined two volume in one edition, with 2 indexes, and
accordingly, by the author's own statement, the statistical
mechanics more understandable than the volume one, classical
thermodynamics.

I am not familiar with the amazon.com version, except to say
that some reticent society of academic publishers some
how give a reference to some formal diurnal understanding,
that the inductive understanding of science is a religious
tasking.

As some year of days, a groping about the text of Nash.
However, some number theoretic year of days is strange
soliloquy by Nash.

Book Description

This book describes recent advances in the application of chaos theory to classical scattering and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics generally, and to transport by deterministic diffusion in particular. The author presents the basic tools of dynamical systems theory, such as dynamical instability, topological analysis, periodic-orbit methods, Liouvillian dynamics, dynamical randomness and large-deviation formalism. These tools are applied to chaotic scattering and to transport in systems near equilibrium and maintained out of equilibrium. This book will be bought by researchers interested in chaos, dynamical systems, chaotic scattering, and statistical mechanics in theoretical, computational and mathematical physics and also in theoretical chemistry.

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Chemthermo: a Statistical Approach to Classical Chemical Thermodynamics
Leonard K. Nash
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classical Statistical Mechanics (Fundamental Theories of Physics)

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Classical Statistical Mechanics (Fundamental Theories of Physics)
G.A. Martynov
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Statistical mechanics deals with systems in which chaos and randomness reign supreme. The current theory is therefore firmly based on the equations of classical mechanics and the postulates of probability theory. This volume seeks to present a unified account of classical mechanical statistics, rather than a collection of unconnected reviews on recent results. To help achieve this, one element is emphasised which integrates various parts of the prevailing theory into a coherent whole. This is the hierarchy of the BBGKY equations, which enables a relationship to be established between the Gibbs theory, the liquid theory, and the theory of nonequilibrium phenomena. As the main focus is on the complex theoretical subject matter, attention to applications is kept to a minimum. The book is divided into three parts. The first part describes the fundamentals of the theory, embracing chaos in dynamic systems and distribution functions of dynamic systems. Thermodynamic equilibrium, dealing with Gibbs statistical mechanics and the statistical mechanics of liquids, forms the second part. Lastly, the third part concentrates on kinetics, and the theory of nonequilibrium gases and liquids in particular. Audience: This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers whose work involves thermophysics, theory of surface phenomena, theory of chemical reactions, physical chemistry and biophysics.

Continuum Mechanics and Applications in Geophysics and the Environment

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Continuum Mechanics and Applications in Geophysics and the Environment

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 3540416609

Book Description

This topical volume reviews applications of continuum mechanics to systems in geophysics and the environment. Part of the text is devoted to numerical simulations and modeling. The topics covered include soil mechanics and porous media, glacier and ice dynamics, climatology and lake physics, climate change as well as numerical algorithms. The book, written by well-known experts, addresses researchers and students interested in physical aspects of our environment.

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