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Microstates, Entropy and Quanta - An Introduction to Statistical Mechanics (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
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Microstates, Entropy and Quanta - An Introduction to Statistical Mechanics (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
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Statistical mechanics: the bane of many a physics student, and
traditionally viewed as a long parade of ensembles, partition
functions, and partial derivatives. But the subject needn't be
arcane. When pared back to its underlying concepts and built from
the ground up, statistical mechanics takes on a charm of its own,
and sheds light on all manner of physical phenomena. This book
presents a straightforward introduction to the key concepts in
statistical mechanics, following the popular style of the author's
highly successful textbook "Explorations in Mathematical Physics".
Offering a clear, conceptual approach to the subject matter, the
book presents a treatment that is mathematically complete, while
remaining very accessible to undergraduates. It commences by
asking: why does an ink drop spread out in a bathtub of water? This
showcases the importance of counting configurations, which leads
naturally to ideas of microstates, energy, entropy, thermodynamics,
and physical chemistry. With this foundation, the Boltzmann
distribution writes itself in its fullest form, and this opens the
door to the Maxwell distribution and related areas of thermal
conductivity and viscosity. Quantum ideas then appear: bosons via
Einstein's and Debye's theories of heat capacity, and fermions via
electrical conduction and low-temperature heat capacity of metals.
The text ends with a detailed derivation of blackbody radiation,
and uses this to discuss the greenhouse effect, lasers, and
cosmology. Suitable for use with core undergraduate courses in
statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, this book concentrates on
using solid mathematics, while avoiding cumbersome notation. All
the necessary mathematical steps are included in the body of the
text and in the worked examples. Reviews of Explorations in
Mathematical Physics by Don Koks, 2006 "With enjoyable and
sometimes surprising excursions along the way, the journey provides
a fresh look at many familiar topics, as it takes us from basic
linear mathematics to general relativity... look forward to having
your geometric intuition nourished and expanded by the author's
intelligent commentaries." (Eugen Merzbacher, University of North
Carolina) "... an interesting supplement to standard texts for
teaching mathematical methods in physics, as it will add
alternative views that could serve as additional material." (S.
Marcelja, Australian Journal of Physics) "... a tour through the
main ideas forming the language of modern mathematical physics
...it is a difficult task for the author to decide what is a good
balance between the topics and their presentation, but in this case
it has been achieved. ...for those physicists who would like to be
exposed to clear motivation and careful explanation of the basics
of the present-day apparatus of mathematical physics." (Ivailo
Mladenov, Mathematical Reviews).
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